Obesity is partly down to your genes: Study

If you are obese, your weight may not be the result of gluttony or lack of exercise, but actually the genes you inherited from your parents, researchers say.

A whole set of new genes associated with body fat distribution and obesity have been identified in two major studies by an international team of researchers, including the largest study yet of DNA variation across our genomes involving almost one fourth million people.

The group has identified 13 new gene regions where variations in DNA sequence can be linked to whether we are apple-shaped or pear-shaped.

The majority of these variations have a markedly stronger effect in women than in men.

The scientists, led by researchers at Oxford University and the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit in Cambridge, have also found 18 new genetic variations associated with increased susceptibility to obesity.