IS OBESITY HEREDITARY?

Obesity is due to a number of factors working together, including the amount you eat, the amount of exercise you take and the genes you have inherited.

Your genes help to control your metabolic rate, your hormone levels and how efficiently you convert excess energy to body fat stores.

If both your parents are obese you have a 70% chance of obesity too, compared with less than 20% if both your parents are lean. This is partly linked with learned eating and activity behaviour although studies of adopted children show heredity plays a large part, too.