The ongoing nature versus nurture debate took another twist recently when it was suggested that you can beat your ‘fat’ genes by exercising.

However, may people blame their genes for their excess weight and make little effort with exercise. But scientists now believe this is just a cop out. Regular exercise can and will help lose weight.

The problem with the ‘it’s in my genes’ attitude is it becomes an excuse to do nothing. There may be a genetic factor but environmental factors can override genetic factors on many occasions. Obesity seems to be one of those disorders where genes are not that important. Predisposition is not a necessary cause of obesity. Rather it is just an indicator.

The problem, however, is that those individuals who believe they can’t lose weight because they are genetically predisposed to becoming obese, over eat. They then become obese. This is called by psychologists as the self fulfilling prophecy.

The conclusion comes from research carried out by Medical Research Council’s Epidemiology Unit in Cambridge. They investigated 220,000 adults from around the world, studying their eating and exercise habits. It confirmed previous studies that there is a link between the flawed FTO gene and obesity, but the scientists found other and perhaps more pertinent results.

For instance, adults with one copy of the flawed gene were 30% at risk of becoming obese. But those adults who exercised regularly dropped this risk to just 22%.

Even people with 2 copies of the same gene could also reduce their chances of becoming obese by adopting a regular exercise regime.

Speaking with reporters, one of the researchers said: “The wider public view of genetically determined obesity not being amenable to exercise is incorrect.”