[quote]eengrms76 wrote:
Just because I said the guy was wrong, doesn’t mean I believe it’s “largely genetically predetermined”. I’ve read enough conflicting studies to say no one actually knows for sure, and that everyone is different.[/quote]
Both can’t be true, you either know and can say he’s wrong, or claim not to know and that he doesn’t either.
The separation of Registered Dietician and Genetic Counselor to entirely different medical fields? The fact that the average immigrant gains weight to normalize themselves with the US average within about 15 yrs.? The fact that laproscopic, gastric bypass, gastroplasty, and other bariatric surgeries work?
Down Syndrome, Huntington’s Disease, Sickle-Cell Anemia, Cystic Fibrosis, these are diseases dominated by genetic factors.
Genetics may determine subtle nuances within weight gain/loss and account for outliers and anomalies (As in this study 38,000 people to find a 7# difference!), but behavioral effects (Ask any medical professional, diet and exercise) are, by far, the dominant factor.
Everyone can achieve body fat levels in the low teens, there is no genetic limiter that says it’s impossible, many would have to exercise exhaustively and starve, but they would get there.
The most recent Atkins study followed 311 pre-menopausal women, they had lost an average of 4.7 kg at the end of one year on the diet, nearly 150% of the effect seen from the FTO gene (assuming its effect could even be seen in such a small number of North American women). (JAMA Mar. 2007)
And not to be disparaging to any of the authors here, but Craig, Sears, Atkins, and Philips have a following that would be more representative of the total population and, consequently, more studies published on them. That’s more why they get included.