Scientists have been working hard to identify genes that have the potential to make us fat. A study published in the International Journal of Obesity in December of 2008 found that certain genes are associated with obesity but not with the intake of excess calories. (International Journal of Obesity 33, 284-288, 9 December 2008 doi:10.1038/ijo.2008.257 Short Communication).

It does seem there may be a genetic link to overweight and obesity – but only in a small number of people. As a result, most experts agree that while genes may have a part to play, they still don’t explain the recent rapid increase in obesity that’s been seen in the Western world. They believe that while we might inherit ‘fat’ genes from our parents, we also inherit their bad habits such as a poor diet and lack of exercise through modeling our parent's behavoir at meal and meal preparation times – and it is these poor lifestyle habits that have a more important part to play in weight gain.

Additional Resources:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003084.htm
http://www.toast-uk.org.uk/causes/heredity.html