Here is a bit of information from a site on the web. I will do more but this about sums up my thoughts....that is, that there are in some cases genetic factors involved in overweight and/or obesity. Who can look at the general population and deny that? I also contend that the majority of overweight/obese people (at least in this population) are so due to the choices they make. It is hard to believe that the recent "epidemic" of childhood obesity has anything to do with a sudden genetic "evolution" and that eating and lifestyle choices have little to do with it. You are right to raise the genetic component as worth considering but all too often it is used as an excuse by the overweight people I know who are just fat at their own hand, so to speak.


"Genetic Factors:

Obesity tends to run in families, suggesting that it may have a genetic cause. However, family members share not only genes but also diet and lifestyle habits that may contribute to obesity. Separating these lifestyle factors from genetic ones is often difficult. Still, growing evidence points to heredity as a strong determining factor of obesity. In one study of adults who were adopted as children, researchers found that the subjects' adult weights were closer to their biological parents' weights than their adoptive parents'. The environment provided by the adoptive family apparently had less influence on the development of obesity than the person's genetic makeup.

Nevertheless, people who feel that their genes have doomed them to a lifetime of obesity should take heart. As discussed in the next section, many people genetically predisposed to obesity do not become obese or manage to lose weight and keep it off.

Environmental Factors

Although genes are an important factor in many cases of obesity, a person's environment also plays a significant part. Environment includes lifestyle behaviors such as what a person eats and how active he or she is. Americans tend to have high-fat diets, often putting taste and convenience ahead of nutritional content when choosing meals. Most Americans also don't get enough exercise.

People can't change their genetic makeup, of course, but they can change what they eat and how active they are. Some people have been able to lose weight and keep it off by:

Learning how to choose more nutritious meals that are lower in fat.
Learning to recognize environmental cues (such as enticing smells) that may make them want to eat when they are not hungry.
Becoming more physically active."