Understanding obesity in order to better fight it
This number has doubled since the 80s and the word “epidemic” is now dropped. Many of us do not always understand how we got to this point and how we did it at the global level. The studies and research of scientists provide us with some food for thought and, perhaps, solutions to fight against this scourge. For them, the causes would be mainly genetic and environmental.
The genetic factor
Experimental research focuses on the expression of certain genes by epigenetic phenomena in weight gain and cholesterol regulation. The latest, conducted by scientists from INRA(1), CNRS, Institut Pasteur, INSERM and University of Cambridge, reveals that the BAHD1 protein participates in these mechanisms by making certain genes not very active or even completely inoperative. In fact, this protein manages to compact certain regions implanted in chromosomes.
Based on this discovery, the researchers believe that with the removal of the BAHD1 gene, body fat and cholesterol could drop significantly. Moreover, laboratory experiments have shown that the removal of theBAHD1 gene decreases cholesterol levelsand the amount of fat in rodents while causing, in the fetus, a reduction in its weight as well as a malfunction of the placenta. In addition, BAHD1 works with other proteins to cause variations in gene activity, resulting in chemical changes in DNA. Even the estrogen receptor, the sex hormones that influence weight, is affected.
Scientists have been able to demonstrate that these mechanisms (so-called epigenetic mechanisms) act, at various stages of life, on the storage or consumption of energy throughout the body. This paves the way for innovative therapies in the fight against overweight, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
But, the factors intrinsic to the person are not the only ones to facilitate the occurrence of overweight. There are external contingencies.
Environmental and social causes
There are three of them, which we can act on.
- The agri-food environment includes agriculture, food processing and distribution, packaging, catering, school canteens. This environment denounces prices too low for foods that are too energetic, the marketing of individual portions more and more consequent, the fall of meals ingested at home with an upsurge of those taken “on the go”, an increase in industrially processed foods.
- The so-called built environment includes the development of parks, land, bike paths as well as access to transportation, the building code and urban space, not to mention architecture. These various developments certainly improve the built environment, but new technologies disrupt the physical environment. This results in a precipitous drop in physical and caloric expenditure on a daily basis. Weight gain is therefore facilitated.
- The socio-cultural environment has also changed considerably over the past 20 years. This sector includes fashion, advertising and communication, the relationship to the body as well as that related to family and work. These areas are fluid and constantly changing in the relationship maintained with his body, his image and their representations.
If we can not do anything with our genetics, it is obvious that we can fight against environmental forces. The solutions consist,each at its level of awareness and possibility , in creating facilitating circumstances to combat this global scourge that is obesity linked to diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.