Fried Food 'Could Cause More Weight Gain To People With Obese Genes', Study Says | HuffPost Life

Proof Of The Obesity Gene?

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People genetically prone to obesity could be more likely to pile on weight from fried foods than those with lower risk, a study suggests.

Eating fried food four times a week or more had twice as big an effect on weight for those with high genetic obesity scores compared to those with the lowest, Harvard researchers found.

Even eating the foods once or twice a week increased the risk of being overweight if people had a genetic predisposition to obesity.

It is the first time experts have looked at the interaction between obesity genetics, weight (measured as body mass index or BMI) and a certain food group.

The team analysed data from more than 37,000 men and women taking part in three US health trials.

Using questionnaires, they looked at food consumption at home and away and calculated a genetic risk score based on 32 known genetic variants associated with BMI and obesity.

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Facts About Childhood Obesity

Over Half Of Obese Children First Become Overweight By Age 2(01 of10)

These kids are even more likely to become obese adults. (credit:Alamy)

17 Percent Of Children And Adolescents Are Obese(02 of10)

According to the Center For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 17% (or 12.5 million) of kids and adolescents aged 2 - 19 years in the United States are now obese. (credit:Alamy)

Obesity Rates Among Kids Ages 2-5 Have Doubled In 30 Years(03 of10)

The rate among this age group increased from 5% to 10.4% in 1976-1980 and 2007-2008. (credit:Alamy)

One In Five Kids Is Overweight By Age 6 (04 of10)

Obese kids are more likely to also be obese as adults, which puts them at risk for heart disease, diabetes, and more adult health problems. (credit:Alamy)

The Childhood Obesity Rate Has Almost Tripled Since 1980 (05 of10)

CDC data shows that there was an increase in the pervasiveness of obesity in the American population between 1976-1980 and then again from 1999-2000, the prevalence of obesity increased. (credit:Alamy)

One In Seven Low-Income Preschoolers Is Obese(06 of10)

Obesity in low-income 2- to 4-year-olds rose from 12.4% of the population in 1998 to 14.5% in 2003 but increased to 14.6% in 2008. (credit:Alamy)

Less Than Half Of Preschoolers Consume Two Daily Servings Of Fruit(07 of10)

And only 25% of kids in this age group get the recommended three daily serving of vegetables. One way to make sure your child gets the amount of fruit and vegetables that they need is to serve them at every meal. (credit:Shutterstock)

One-Third Of High School Students Get The Recommended Amount Of Exercise (08 of10)

In 2011, only 29% of high-schoolers in a survey participated in 60 minutes of physical activity each day, which is the amount recommended by the CDC. It’s best for kids to get three different types of exercise: aerobic activity, like walking or running, muscle strengthening activities like push-ups or pull-ups and bone strengthening activities like jumping rope. (credit:Alamy)

Childhood Obesity Is Linked To A Wide Range Of Health Problems(09 of10)

High blood pressure, diabetes and other cardiovascular issues have been previously tied to obesity. But a 2013 study found that obesity also puts kids at risk for other health issues such as ADHD, allergies and ear infections. (credit:Alamy)

The Food Industry Spends Over $1.6 Billion To Market To Kids Each Year(10 of10)

This number was documented by the FTC in 2008. According to the APA, there are strong associations between the increase in junk food advertising to kids and the climbing rate of childhood obesity. (credit:Alamy)

Those in the highest third of genetic risk had twice the difference in BMI if they ate fried food four times a week or more compared to those with the lowest risk.

Meanwhile, those with the highest risk who ate the foods one to three times a week were also heavier than people with lower genetic risk.

Writing in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), the authors, including from the Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School in Boston in the US, said: "We found a significant interaction between fried food consumption and genetic predisposition to adiposity (obesity).

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"These results for the first time suggest that individuals with a greater genetic predisposition to adiposity might be more susceptible to the adverse influence of overconsumption of fried food on adiposity; and overconsumption of fried foods might magnify genetic effects on adiposity."

Assistant professor Lu Qi, from the Harvard School of Public Health, added: "Our findings emphasise the importance of reducing fried food consumption in the prevention of obesity, particularly in individuals genetically predisposed to adiposity."

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Professor Alexandra Blakemore and Dr Jessica Buxton, from Imperial College London, said in an accompanying editorial: "This work provides formal proof of interaction between a combined genetic risk score and environment in obesity.

However, they said the results "are unlikely to influence public health advice, since most of us should be eating fried food more sparingly anyway."

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