It's Not All Relative

Even it your family tree is populated with overweight folks, that doesn’t mean you’re doomed to be obese, report British researchers. They analyzed the genetic makeup of 20,430 people and found that, yes, those who had more gene variation that predisposed them to obesity were heavier, according to an article in the March 2011 article of Good Housekeeping magazine.

But when they matched activity levels of participants with their genes, the picture was brighter: While each gene variation added an average of 1.3 pounds to those who were sedentary, for active people (those who moved at least 30 minutes a day), the average was 0.8 pounds - difference that can really add up if you have many such variations. The thin-kin lesson? DNA is not destiny – or an excuse to get too friendly with your remote.