New research has found genetics play a larger role in determining obesity levels than extrinsic environmental factors alone.
King’s College London geneticist, Robert Plomin analysed the correlations between the body mass indexes of both adoptive and genetic siblings and discovered shared genes play a more important and measurable role than environmental factors when it comes to the propensity to be overweight.
Two genetic siblings who grow up together have a BMI correlation of about 40%, while adoptive siblings have a 0% correlation.
Interestingly Plomin’s research revealed the BMI’s of two genetic siblings reared by separate families will still correlate just as much as if they were raised together.