Some People Can’t Help Being Thin

Published on Friday, January 23, 2009, by keithlaidlaw / Edit Post

We all know someone who can eat and drink whatever fatty, sugary, carb-loaded food is put in front of him, doesn’t seem to do much exercise, and yet never seems to put on an ounce of weight. “I just can’t help it,” he’ll say with wide-eyed innocence, while others quietly seethe.

It turns out that he may be right. A new BBC documentary explores the idea that some people seem to have a genetic predisposition to skinniness. On the show, 10 thin people were asked to gorge on junk food for four weeks while also cutting back on any aerobic activity, even walking. Copying an experiment carried out in a Vermont state prison in 1967, the program produced much the same results: It seems that some people just can’t put on weight, no matter how much they eat or how idle they are.

The next question: How long until we can all get our hands on these genes? Burger King and La-Z-Boy are probably working on it as we speak.

ALLFood Media
POST A COMMENT |5 Comments

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  • I have a friend who is like this, and my dad was the same(he was fairly athletic though). The important thing to remember is that being skinny does not mean you are healthy. My dad literally dropped dead about a year ago from sudden cardiac arrest, and everyone was stunned because he was never overweight so he never appeared unhealthy and we were unaware of any health problems (he was 63).

  • I know for sure we have this situation in my family. I have two teen aged daughters ages 19 and 17. The nineteen year old weighs 115 pounds and is 5'6 inches, the 17 year old is 5'5 and 130 pounds. The 19 year old by self description has a sedentary life style, and the 17 year old is a competitive dancer taking many hours of dance class. She can not move one pound off her frame, and certainly...+READ

    I know for sure we have this situation in my family. I have two teen aged daughters ages 19 and 17. The nineteen year old weighs 115 pounds and is 5'6 inches, the 17 year old is 5'5 and 130 pounds. The 19 year old by self description has a sedentary life style, and the 17 year old is a competitive dancer taking many hours of dance class. She can not move one pound off her frame, and certainly eats a very healthy and lean diet. Her sister eats like a horse and not one ounce of weight does she gain. Life just isn't fair sometimes in the world of genetics!-COLLAPSE

  • I know for sure we have this situation in my family. I have two teen aged daughters ages 19 and 17. The nineteen year old weighs 115 pounds and is 5'6 inches, the 17 year old is 5'5 and 130 pounds. The 19 year old by self description has a sedentary life style, and the 17 year old is a competitive dancer taking many hours of dance class. She can not move one pound off her frame, and certainly...+READ

    I know for sure we have this situation in my family. I have two teen aged daughters ages 19 and 17. The nineteen year old weighs 115 pounds and is 5'6 inches, the 17 year old is 5'5 and 130 pounds. The 19 year old by self description has a sedentary life style, and the 17 year old is a competitive dancer taking many hours of dance class. She can not move one pound off her frame, and certainly eats a very healthy and lean diet. Her sister eats like a horse and not one ounce of weight does she gain. Life just isn't fair sometimes in the world of genetics!-COLLAPSE

  • my dr told me it's better to have a body that becomes fat from over eating versus the ones that stay skinnny. becoming chubby is an indicator of sorts. we know when we get fat that we need to diet etc. and we are compromising our health. skinny people do not have this function. so when they eat too much fat and their arteries are getting clogged up there's no indication that this is happening. so...+READ

    my dr told me it's better to have a body that becomes fat from over eating versus the ones that stay skinnny. becoming chubby is an indicator of sorts. we know when we get fat that we need to diet etc. and we are compromising our health. skinny people do not have this function. so when they eat too much fat and their arteries are getting clogged up there's no indication that this is happening. so the ability to become fat is a good thing!-COLLAPSE

  • My hubbie is one of these thin folks, but then he has a miserable digestive system and has all sorts of food issues. I think he'd rather be pudgy.