There has been a lot of press coverage recently about a newly discovered gene variant that has the effect of casuing some people to be overweight. The press, with their usual tendency for overstatement, have called this "The Obesity Gene". The danger is, of course, that this gives the impression that there is nothing that can be done about the condition. Nothing could be further from the truth!

The findings show that people carrying the variant are likely to be 1.2 kilos heavier than the norm, or 3 kilos heavier if they have two copies of the variant. These weight differences are not enough to cause obesity. Really this gene variant should be labelled "The Slightly Overweight Gene". It also only appears in 16% of the population, so in the balance of probability you probably haven't got it.

The fact of the matter is that if you are obese then you are at substantially greater risk of contracting diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. The presence of this gene doesn't change anything at all in respect to this. Even if you are lucky enough to avoid these conditions then your quality of life is going to be impaired in some way.

Now the great thing about humans is that they have the conscious ability to try and rise above whatever shortcomings nature might have dealt them. So, even if you are carrying this gene it doesn't mean that you have to be obese, it doesn't mean that you even have to be overweight. It just means that you have to try a little harder in order to avoid these consequences. Choosing the right lifestyle with good nutrition and regular exercise is what it is all about.