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Research

FTO genotype and weight loss: systematic review and meta-analysis of 9563 individual participant data from eight randomised controlled trials

BMJ 2016; 354 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i4707 (Published 20 September 2016) Cite this as: BMJ 2016;354:i4707

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Blame it on my genes ...... no more

Dear Editors

How many people does it take to change a light bulb?

One, as long as the light bulb wants to be changed.

No matter what the reasoning or rationalisation, weight loss is ultimately a result of the body's energy expenditure being in excess of energy intake. There is a real limit to what one can do to exercise at a time, but there is a far bigger range in how much calories a person can ingest in a day.

As for the people who either deny being obese, or think it can be healthy while being obese:

Some challenged the "science" of BMI measurement (which was first used almost 150 years ago) and wanted to change the goalposts from BMI = 25 in spite of the fact that it is only during the last 30 years that the average cohort BMI has increased drastically within 2 generations.

There are some who think anyone suggesting that an obese person should lose weight is akin to fat shaming and bullying.

There are others who think it is possible to be obese and yet "healthy". (There is no such thing: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2016/09/06/fat-fit-wont-prevent-diabetes
and
http://www.saxinstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/Program-with-Abstracts... on Page 16)

Even more now blame their obesity and life-long habitus on their inherited genes.

Some even suggest that people who are obese need some touchy-feely "approach" as if they require coaxing into actually doing something about losing weight.

At the end of the day, these "obesity-deniers" will only change when they are really determined to do so.

But at least Livingstone et al have taken away another crutch that they like to use: that their genes make it harder for them to lose weight.

Competing interests: No competing interests

22 September 2016
Shyan Goh
Orthopaedic Surgeon
Sydney, Australia
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