Being apple or pear shaped is hereditary. Therefore, your shape is not defined by diet, however, by 13 inherited genes.
A massive research study has identified the genes which make people fatter and help define body shape.
A dozen such genes have been determined by the study of 250,000 people.
Edinburgh University staff and Edinburgh’s Medical Research Council Human Genetics Unit have collaborated on studies which calculated that certain individuals are 9kg heavier than others just due to genes.
These findings will assist in the search for new solutions to the increasing problem of obesity in the UK.
This is likely to include the creation of new drugs which may compensate for genetic traits which encourage weight gain.
The size of our growing waistlines shows that lifestyle interventions are not working. Hence, fresh insights into the biology of our bodies that such research has thrown up is crucial in developing new approaches.
This could include attempting to target genes which affect appetite in order that we have a pill which ensures people feel less hungry.