Drivel.
Your fat because you eat too much. SIMPLE. It doesn't need over thinking. Blame your car, blame day time TV, blame oversized portions BUT blame yourself. You eat it, you use it you, sit infront of it. Get off your butt eat less and move.

God forbid that the "Ministry of Commonsense" should actually say something sensible, e.g. "Eat less fatty and move more and take responsibility for yourself". Rather than making excuses for people all the time.

Truth hurts, get over it and get on with it.

Keith, Newcastle,

absolutely right on Aspartame. and sugar has been replaced by "high-fructose corn syrup" in many processed foods over the last several years - this sweetener piles on the pounds even quicker than sugar.

Napoleon P., London,

When Formaldehyde enters the body and the blood stream, it attaches to fat cells. Our bodies can not break down that fat and use it for energy. Our bodies then make more fat cells to store and use fat as an energy source. Sadly that fat is also contaminated by formaldehyde so becomes unusable. So we get fatter and fatter ~ Obese.

You are maybe wondering where the formaldehyde comes from. The artificial sweetener 'Aspartame' is made from aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol (11%). The methanol converts to formic acid and formaldehyde when it reaches 86 deg. F. (less than body temp.)

Ironically, just about every 'Diet' fizzy drink and 'no added sugar' product contains Aspartame. So anyone consuming aspartame is consuming formaldehyde.

Aspartame has been at the center of many debates about the safety of it. Users will say it is safe, the government say it is safe, but many people are suffering from its use. Do an Internet search: Aspartame + Brain Tumours. It's your life.

Alex, Scarborough, Yorkshire

How come this gene has not been heard of before. It is very close to the " poor " gene. Most " poor " people that I see are usually grossly fat.. Hey, Global Warming has less evidence. I believe it is because people eat 1, it is there, 2 boredom. The fact that most restaurants give portions that should feed a family, means people just sit and eat. This " gene " is native to New Orleans..

Desmond Taylor, Houston, TX

As simply as possible; in our comfortable society we need more exercise! By the way it was an interesting article.

greg grosz, budapest, hungary

The MAIN cause of obesity is not genetic,it is GREED and STUPIDITY.
A hundred years ago obesity was uneard of on the scale of today.

Michael Rigby, Chorley Lancashire, England

In actual fact a breakthrough treatment has been around for for some time. Scientifically known as ELMM "Eat Less Move More", it replaced the proven, yet traumatic, PtPD "Put the Pie Down" treatment. Government promotion of this campaign was fought tirelessly for years by greasy members of the shadowy chip shop lobby. Honest.

Andy, London, UK

There are of course people in France who are slim through a healthy diet and exercise. The normal French diet is probably healthier than that of the UK.
It is also for many people though, a product of plenty of coffee and cigarettes, and too little food.
Healthy isn't just about weight, and goose fat, wine, soft cheese, cofffee and fags isn't a diet to shout about.

John, Villefranche,

Must be a new gene. They didn't have an obesity problem when I was a kid, in the pre MacDonald days.

Brian, Northampton, Northamptonshire

Absolute hogwash, every last word. Fatties are fat not because of their genes but because they can't help guzzling cream cakes and crisps. It's another example of the UK being unable to take responsibility for their own actions. I live in France and there are very few obese people here. Why? It is to do with genes? Of course not! It's because over here we eat sensibly and don't stuff our faces with crisps and chocolates whenever we hear our tummies rumbling (and let's not even mention lager). Don't blame others for your own deficiencies

Gavin Mortimer, Montpellier, France

I suppose the name of the gene is called"food".

Wing, Poole, Dorset