Is Obesity Genetic and are GLP-1 Drugs Effective?

We’ve been hearing a lot of noise lately suggesting obesity is genetic. In fact, Dr. Fatima Cody (a obesity drug consultant) has been getting a lot of press for saying ‘The number one cause of obesity is genetics…That means if you are born to parents that have obesity, you have a 50 to 85 percent likelihood of having the disease yourself. Even with optimal diet, exercise, sleep management, stress management.’ This same doctor is appointed to the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which will develop new recommended eating habits for Americans over the coming years and tell Americans what to eat - this is the USDA MyPlate. Nutritionists and dietitians around America are also likely to make recommendations to parents based on the decisions made by this panel, not us though!

USDA MyPlate Guidelines are Inherently Flawed

In 1992, the USDA introduced the food pyramid. It recommended six to 11 servings of starchy foods such as rice and bread each day, three to five servings of vegetables, two to four of fruit, two to three of meat and dairy and sparing use of fats, oils and sweets. Some have pointed to this pyramid as the trigger point for America's crisis, which now sees over 70 percent of the country overweight, and nearly half obese. Mind you, this guiding body, now MyPlate, that will be allowing this fall for Kraft Heinz lunchables to be served in K-12 schools nationwide. This is in the same year where guidelines now recommend that children struggling with obesity should be evaluated and treated early and aggressively, including with medications for kids as young as 12 and surgery for those as young as 13.

Dr Mark Hyman, an American wellness expert, wrote in 2016: 'Here’s the truth: The government recommendations released in 1980 promoted low-fat diets that have catapulted us into the worst epidemic of obesity and diabetes in history.’ He points to the large number of carbs recommended by the pyramid and says the body converts those carbs into sugar and fat in the body. Dr Hyman also warns that highly processed refined carbs lead to inflammation in the body.

More recently it was revealed for the first time ever that the 2020 U.S. Dietary Guidelines had MAJOR conflicts of interest. Data released related to a Cambridge University Press publication earlier this year found that 95% of the members on the expert committee for the 2020 U.S. Dietary Guidelines had conflicts of interest with the food or pharmaceutical industries. A total of more than 700 conflicts of interest (COI) were found on the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. More than 50% of committee members were connected to 30 industry actors or more. The corporations Kellogg, Abbott, Kraft, Mead Johnson, General Mills, and Dannon had the most frequent and durable connections to the committee.

These companies are invested in making you addicted to their unhealthy foods and then making you a lifelong patient dependent on medications and medical interventions. It makes perfect sense that the new messaging implies we are all victims to our genetics and there is sadly, nothing we can do. And now on the market are GLP-1 drugs offering a promise of easy-peasy weight loss.

GLP-1 medications stimulate the secretion of insulin and slow the release of glucagon in your body, influencing blood sugar control. GLP-1s also help with weight loss by acting on the body's “set point,” reducing appetite and increasing satiety. However, as like most drugs, there are monetary drawbacks and side effects. These medications are very expensive. For example, Wegovy is “not easy to get. The drug is currently in short supply. And it costs more than $1,300 a month.” The side effect is rebound weight gain once you stop taking it, this means you become a customer of GLP-1 drugs for LIFE…. this should not be a default choice for most people to achieve fat reduction.

Our genetics only have a small impact on obesity risk. In 2018 an international research team found that the correlation between genetics and obesity is modified by diet - what we eat influences our genetic expression! Per the CDC: in most obese people, no single genetic cause can be identified. If you have obesity in your family, it’s not really the genetics making it happen, it’s that families have similar habits. If your family historically doesn’t eat healthy, doesn’t exercise, etc. it is extremely likely that most family members will be overweight.

Our health is only destined to fail if we fall for outside influences that want us to be hooked on processed foods: foods high in high-fructose corn syrup, starches, additives and vegetable oil (also called seed oil). Big Food isn’t going to change unless we make them. They spend millions lobbying to ensure favorable laws and regulations… They fund favorable studies at universities and research institutes… And they are very good at marketing. But there is a better way: We can choose to vote with our dollar and we can choose real food. These will send messages that we aren’t puppets in a system designed against us. Our goal with our clients to eat as much real food as possible. To: prioritize protein, customize carbs and embrace healthy fat. These simple adjustments can do wonders and we’d love to help you!