"...genes are not destiny. Healthier homes can potentially offset obesogenic genes.'"

Editorial praises childhood obesity study that finds 'genes are not destiny'

"The study's main finding was that genetic influences on children's body mass index(BMI) depends upon their home environment," said Myles S. Faith, Ph.D., professor of counseling, school and educational psychology in the UB Graduate School of Education.

He co-authored an editorial in JAMA Pediatrics with Leonard H. Epstein, Ph.D., SUNY Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB. They were invited to write it in response to a study by Valerie Schrempft of University College in London and her colleagues.

"The study found that for kids living in less 'obesogenic' homes—for example, who had more access to fruits and vegetables and who watched less television—the size of the genetic influence was cut roughly in half," said Faith. "Thus, genes are not destiny. Healthier homes can potentially offset obesogenic genes."