The fault is not in our genes, but in ourselves...

A new study suggests that some people find it harder to lose weight because of their genes.

The study, which you can read about here, found that those who had one copy of the "fat" gene had a 30% higher risk of being obese compared to someone with no copies.

Those who had two copies of the fat gene had a 70% higher risk of being obese, and were on average 3kg (6.5 pounds) heavier than someone with no copies.

I help people lose weight and so I know that some people find it more difficult to lose weight than others. But even allowing for a genetic predisposition to obesity, people still have a responsibility to make good lifestyle choices. For example, someone who knows she has a family history of cancer, and yet chooses to smoke, can't blame it on her genes if she gets cancer.

In the same way, someone who finds it difficult to lose weight because of his genes, or who has thyroid problems can't blame anyone but himself if he ends up being obese. According to the research findings, people who had the "fat" gene were on average 3kg heavier than those who had no copies of the gene. Not 15 kg heavier.