title: [Obesity: more nurture than nature].
abstract: Hereditary factors as a cause of obesity have long been a subject of interest. The authors of another article in the Netherlands Journal of Medicine propose that 75% of differences in BMI are determined by heredity. However, these estimates differ quite considerably from study to study. In addition even though the genetic makeup of humans has not changed for tens of thousands of years, the number of obese people has greatly increased. The discovery of genetic reasons for obesity is certainly of scientific importance, but at population level nurture remains the most important.
authors.affiliation: Vrije Universiteit en VUmc, afd. Gezondheidswetenschappen, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. j.c.seidell@vu.nl
authors.forename: Jaap C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Seidell
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000235:genetics*; D044105:Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 4 / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D044105:Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 4