Question: Do you think that if we don't look after our bodies by taking regular physical activity and eating healthily then future generations might risk being overweight? I mean, do we need to keep ourselves healthy in order for obesity to not pass through genes and not harm future generations?

Sally Fenton answered on 15 Jun 2010:

Thats a very good question! Basically research has shown that very little (less than 1%) of obesity is due to genetics. People who become overweight or obese do so normally because of lifestyle factors such as their diet and exercise. However…even though it is not necessarily in your genes…scientists have shown that if the parents are overweight/obese their child is also more likely to be..probably because they pick up bad habits from their parents in terms of eating and a physical activity.

We have also found out that if you are overweight/obese as a child then you are 80% likely to be obese/overweight as an adult…so all in all it is important to try and be fit and healthy when you are young to reduce the chances being overweight/obese when you are older….as this can lead to health problems like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, cancer etc.

So my answer is yes…future generations will most definitely risk being overweight if we don’t look after our bodies..not necessarily through genetics…but if you think about the habits and thigs you have picked up from your parents..you can see how it might be easily passed down to future generations.