PILATES 1901 ASKS “ARE YOU DESTINED TO INHERIT YOUR MOM’S BODY?”
IT MAY BE YOUR DREAM. IT MAY BE YOUR NIGHTMARE. BUT THE QUESTION REMAINS. ARE WE DESTINED TO MORPH INTO MOM'S BODY AS WE AGE?
If your Mom is overweight does that mean you will be too as you age? In this article I found in Women's Health Magazine we can see that peeking into your future isn't as simple as taking a look at your mom. In fact, studies suggest that while your genes may determine up to 80 percent of your weight and body shape, environment and personal choice still play a significant role. So even if you're a dead ringer for your mother in old family photos, it doesn't mean you'll enter middle age with the same body.
See, she grew up in a world where women never sweat—and never passed up a slice of pie— while you grew up with soccer and diet-meal delivery services, and experts say this distinction can make all the difference. WH dissected the variety of factors that count...and looked at what control you can exert over them.
Body of Evidence
In the 1990s, studies done on identical twins indicated that genes pretty much determined adult shape and size. But new research is uncovering a more nuanced view. Some aspects of shape and size, it turns out, are more closely tied to genes than others. The ease with which you develop muscle mass, for example, is a highly inherited trait. A study that appeared in the International Journal of Obesity found that while you need physical activity in order to build muscle, people who have "muscular" genes require far less exercise than others to look fit.
The other major finding: Apple-shaped bodies are more genetically linked than pear-shaped or skinny ones. Some speculate this is because you also inherit genes from your father, and men typically store extra pounds in their guts. So if your mother carries weight in her stomach too, it could increase your chances of being an apple. From a medical standpoint, this is worrisome because central abdominal fat is associated with several serious conditions, including type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease.
New research has also uncovered a gene that may affect how much you eat. Neurexin 3, one of the genes recently implicated in regulating waist circumference, is also involved in brain function and has been linked to addictive behaviors such as alcoholism. Scientists believe this gene, which is carried by about 20 percent of the human population, may trigger a compulsion to overeat— which could explain why obesity tends to run in families the same way certain body shapes do.
Regrettably, these shape-determining genes can be stubborn. Even disciplined dieters often hit a wall after losing the first few pounds or regain weight they've lost. Researchers believe this is because each person has a baseline weight, a genetically influenced set point where the body naturally wants to be. If you end up more than 10 percent below your set point, your body will fight back.
The Lifestyle Link
These new scientific findings are certainly compelling, but don't count nurture out just yet. The national obesity rate is one clue to the big role that environment can play. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 65 percent of Americans are overweight or obese, a 16 percent increase in fewer than 10 years. Genes have been around as long as human beings have, but the current obesity epidemic is brand-new.
One simple explanation is the supply of calorie-rich food in our culture. A couple hundred years ago, not many people had ready access to a lot of food, so only those with an extremely high susceptibility to weight gain became overweight. Today, for a few bucks, even someone with skinny genes can buy enough food to supersize herself.
But perhaps one of the biggest wild cards in determining body development is fitness. Women in their twenties and thirties who exercised as kids have less typically "feminine" body types than what was common amongst that same age-group 25 years ago. They have wider middles and narrower hips, and more muscular legs and defined arms—the result of years spent playing sports.
Diane, a 31-year-old graphic designer from Macungie, Pennsylvania, is a perfect example. "I know I have a tendency to get my mother's stocky body type," she says. "But because I grew up swimming and started competing in triathlons when I was in my twenties, and my mom never exercised, my body doesn't really resemble hers. I'm much leaner and fitter."
The question is, will all those miles logged override her genetic destiny to morph into her mom? While you can't override a genetic predisposition, but building muscle can reshape your body to a degree and delay the point at which your figure starts to widen. However, muscle mass begins to diminish as you reach menopause, so eventually your body will probably wind up nudging its way back to its genetic set point. The glass-half-full perspective: That hard work will buy you more years of owning a hot bod, and if you stay active into your fifties, you'll put on less weight than someone who has been using her gym membership card as a bookmark.
Fear Factor
Still, to some women, their mother's shape is a black cloud that perpetually hangs over their head. Diane took up swimming and triathlons out of a sheer passion for sports, but she acknowledges that being the daughter of an overweight mom affects how she feels about her body and how hard she trains. "I hate to say this, but whenever I start slacking on my training, I picture my mom, and I pedal faster or run harder."
You'd think the daughters of moms with Christie Brinkley-like bodies would have it made. Truth is, girls who aren't as thin as their moms often feel inadequate. Often there's a lot of competition between mothers and daughters in general, and it may manifest itself in terms of weight and size, because so much cultural importance is placed on appearance.
Winning the Genetic War
Despite the slew of new research indicating that certain body shapes are largely preordained, it's by no means a fat sentence. At the end of the day, you're in the driver's seat of your own life and the navigator of your own body.
The bottom line: No matter what your genes or your environment might be, you can't gain weight unless you're taking in more calories than you're expending. So while you may not be able to change being apple-shaped, it's certainly well within your power to be the healthiest, fittest apple possible.
