An article from the BBC News entitled "Obesity gene 'affects appetite' " about a study that is also published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7525347.stm

Wow! This makes me wonder... I believe that both genetics and environment can play a large role in weight. Looking at my Mom's side of the family especially, where of 8 children, 6 have struggled with their weight and range from overweight to obese, I would guess that if there are "obesity genes", my family carries some of them. I've always felt is that I just don't seem to have that "off" switch when I'm eating - I can just eat and eat and eat and it's not until I've grossly overeaten that I feel full. I've really had to teach myself what a portion size is, and usually eat now just so that I don't feel hungry anymore.

What does everyone else think?

Megan, I'm just like you with not having that "off" switch. Even when I was a little kid, I wanted to keep eating, even when the rest of the family was finished with a meal. It wasn't emotional eating; I was genuinely still hungry. I totally believe I was born that way and so are a lot of other people who struggle with weight.

So like you, I had to learn portion sizes and eat with my brain, not my stomach as a guide. There are plenty of times that I can finish a planned meal and still feel just as hungry as when I started, but I know with my head that I ate a reasonable portion of food so I stop. I'll never be able to be an intuitive eater -- unless I want to be morbidly obese again!

I agree with the article's conclusion that obesity is multifaceted and we're only just beginning to understand the causes. Thanks for posting it!

In today's world it's considered and *obesity gene* but I betcha 2 or 3 thousand years ago it was a survival gene. Maybe one of the reasons there are so many of us struggling these days is because a lot of the ancestors of folks without the gene didn't eat enough to survive and/or reproduce?