I was interested by last week's newspaper coverage about the findings of a study into a genetic component to obesity. The team of researchers combined data from seven study cohorts totalling 19,424 European adults, and two birth cohorts totalling 10,172 children.
Among adults they found that one sixth of the population carries a 70% higher risk of being obese as a result of carrying variants in the FTO gene.
In the children they noted that the FTO gene may affect weight from as young as seven years old.
As yet any mechanism of action for the FTO gene in the body is unknown, and scientists will now want to find out more about the biological function of the FTO gene and its precise role in obesity which promises to be a fascinating area of research.
What does this latest finding mean for the choices we make about the food we eat?
These findings support the view that there's some genetic basis for what we have suspected all along, that some people are more susceptible to putting on weight than others but many people who carry the variant FTO gene will not become overweight or obese.
Basically, we all need to eat sensibly and adopt healthy lifestyles if we are to reduce our risk of diet-related illness and those people who are carriers of the 'obesity gene' will need to work that bit harder than others to control their weight.
I was heartened by the newspaper coverage because it mostly avoided the 'blame it on the genes' angle to the story for a much more measured approach.
In future, we are likely to have much more personalised information about our genetic susceptibilities to a whole range of diseases and this will help guide our dietary and lifestyle choices to reduce risks. In the meantime, where the FSA can help is providing advice on healthy eating, and also through initiatives such as the traffic light labelling which make it easier for people to make healthy choices.