Fat gene found? Yes, but.....

November 5, 6:34 PMNY Healthcare ExaminerRobert Schneider, M.D.

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The Archives of Internal Medicine for November 9, 2009, page 1897, (Corella and Ordovas, et al, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture) will publish an article giving evidence from three independent studies showing there is a fat gene after all.   But wait.  It's a curious gene.  First, it affects only 10-15% of the population. (Reminder: 67% of the population is overweight or obese.) More curious still: The gene is like a light bulb.  it can be turned on or off.  The switch mechanism is saturated fat.  The fat gene seems dormant, but it lies in wait.  If you consume only small quantities of saturated fat it remains in the off position.  But if you chow down cheeseburgers, butter, bacon and all the foods derived from animal sources, the high saturated fat content lights up the fat gene like a 300 watt klieg light.  It triggers obesity and high BMI (Body Mass Index), a measure of obesity derived from your height and weight.  This puts you squarely on the too-well trodden road to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. 

So, the conclusion is not: "It's not my fault, it's in my genes, pass me another burger."  For the small minority with this gene, it's an early warning system, a reminder, saturated fat will zoom to your belly and hips like a gene-fueled rocket.   Having a fat gene is not an excuse for a big belly and a life burdened by unnecessary disabilities and early demise.  For the rest of us without a fat gene red button,  saturated fat will still do its damage in due time.  Fat gene or not, the saturated fat life is a bill waiting to be paid.