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Genetic Studies of Obesity across the Life Span

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Behavior Genetic Approaches in Behavioral Medicine

Part of the book series: Perspectives on Individual Differences ((PIDF))

Abstract

Obesity and correlated aspects of body fat distribution and patterning are established risk factors for several adult clinical disorders, including non-insulindependent diabetes, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and some cancers (Van Ittallie & Abraham, 1985; Barrett-Connor, 1985; Bray, 1985; Baumgartner, Roche, Chumlea, Siervogel, & Glueck, 1987; Blair, Habicht, Sims, Sylvester, & Abraham, 1984; Donahue, Abbot, Bloom, Reed, & Katsuhiko-Yano, 1987). Understanding the etiology of obesity is a necessary prerequisite for strategies aimed at reducing, and consequently ameliorating the effects of, excess weight. It has proven difficult, however, to obtain a thorough understanding of this etiology. The etiology is undoubtedly complex, and there is unlikely a single metabolic or behavioral explanation of individual differences in adiposity. Instead, the current evidence suggests that obesity is a consequence of both inherited (genetic) and acquired (environmental) aspects of caloric intake and energy expenditure. These factors most likely differ in their importance over an individual’s lifetime.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Genetics, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298, USA

    Joanne M. Meyer

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  1. Joanne M. Meyer
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics and Georgia Prevention Institute, Medical College of Georgia, 30912, Augusta, Georgia, USA

    J. Rick Turner

  2. Department of Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine, University of Tennessee, 38105, Memphis, Tennessee, USA

    J. Rick Turner

  3. Sequana Therapeutics, 11099 North Torrey Pines Road, Suite 160, 92037, La Jolla, California, USA

    Lon R. Cardon

  4. Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, 80309, Boulder, Colorado, USA

    John K. Hewitt

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© 1995 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Meyer, J.M. (1995). Genetic Studies of Obesity across the Life Span. In: Turner, J.R., Cardon, L.R., Hewitt, J.K. (eds) Behavior Genetic Approaches in Behavioral Medicine. Perspectives on Individual Differences. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9377-2_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9377-2_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-9379-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-9377-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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