Modern-Day Environment, Not Genes, May Be Primary Culprit Behind Obesity Epidemic, Study Suggests.

reports, “It looks like the primary culprit behind the obesity epidemic may be the modern-day environment, and not genes,” research indicates. Investigators found that “Americans were more likely to pack on more pounds if they were born later in the 20th century, regardless of whether they had a high genetic risk for obesity.” The findings of the 8,800-participant study were published July 5 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The presence of obesity-linked genes did not increase in the population over time, the researchers found. However, the effect that these genes had on a person's BMI did increase in subsequent decades, as the modern environment changed in ways that promote obesity. Epigenetic modifications due to the environment change quickly unlike gene mutations. https://consumer.healthday.com/vitamins-and-nutrition-information-27/obesity-health-news-505/modern-lifestyle-most-to-blame-for-obesity-epidemic-study-712613.html