ahahooper said:
no I completely agree with. I should have been more clear. I was only referring to cycleguys query of living longer. all I was saying is How long you live has a genetic component. Obesity itself has almost no genetic component as per your argument.
How do you figure that? It's not just about what you eat, it's about what you burn as well. Some people can eat anything and burn it off because they have fast metabolisms (25% of the population); 50% who have to watch what they eat and exercise, particularly as they age, as they can gain weight, and the other 25% that have to really limit their calories and/or exercise a lot to keep from becoming obese.
To say there is no genetic component when it has been identified as a risk factor is just wrong. Google it yourselves. I recently read an article where they've identified a gene in rats when activated turns those rats obese on the same calorie diet versus control.
It's all genetics, combined with environment and lifestyle. If you have bad genes for cholesterol, no matter what you eat or how you exercise, you'll still have high cholesterol. We've all heard about the marathon runners dying of heart attacks in their 50's. Conversely good genes lead to longevity and less risk for the common killers.