Q&A - Do Your Genes Make You Fat? - with Giles Yeo

[@recklessroges]

I could have done with another hour of questions if the answers were going to be this good. Thank you Dr Yeo.

[@NetAndyCz]

Damn, Giles Yeo has awesome presentation skills, I wish the Q&A was longer.

[@m0L3ify]

I could listen to him all day!

[@philipbannor3281]

Wow, some really amazing questions and explanations here - one of the better presentations I have watched!

[@bikashrajak8213]

He is really good at explaining 😊

[@charlesparrish2831]

Easy answer YES ABSOLUTELY!!!

[@identity7845]

I count calories and I am normal weight. Sure, counting calories doesn't take into account caloric availability, but I feel like it gives me a rough estimation so that I don't overeat. Like, when I go to mcdonalds, I could eat like 20 cheeseburgers until I am full, but I know that one is about 300 kcal so I can't have more than 6, and if I had 6, it'd mean I can't have anything else that day. Counting calories is not a perfect system, but in a busy life where not everyone can be a nutritional expert every day, it's better than not doing it. Show me an obese person who counts their calories and doesn't exceed daily limit.

[@THEBIASEDCOMPOSER]

Wonderful presentation! I love the way he presents things, and it is so fun listening to. Thank you. But what about the influence of intestinal flora? (oh, well, 13:10, is my question, thanks for asking.)

[@TheRoyalInstitution]

You might also be interested in this talk which is all about the role of the microbiome on our health - kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y324pqSuhriUfLM, and we also like this talk by Ed Yong - kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4DcnneefN2Gb7M

[@THEBIASEDCOMPOSER]

@@TheRoyalInstitution Thank you very much. I will look them up.

[@wendym2544]

I respectfully think that info like this, is a disservice to over weight people. I'm not saying it's easy ( but it can be if you approach it the right way) but one can eat better, eat less, get the right kind of exercise in to keep weight at bay, and lose the weight for good, and be so much happier and feel so much better. It gives people struggling with obesity an excuse, and takes away their hope and possibility that they will be successful at losing their weight permanently.

[@erwinlommer197]

I think he did not answer the second part of the last question. Do we have genes that makes us more or less likely to take the stairs instead of escalator? In other words if genes affect our eating behaviours and (probably) our metabolism speed in ability to take calories from foods, are there also genes that make us move and excercise different amounts? And while it might be about metabolism again, I wonder if we have genes that make us eat and desire food differently after excercise? Do some people have stronger urge than others to get the calories back after spending a lot of energy excercising for example?

[@JudgeyJudgeyable]

I think he did address it. The way I understood him was that it’s too difficult to measure inclination to exercise or energy expenditure or heat given off. I guess it makes sense bc how could you measure how often sometime is more inclined to take the stairs or fidget? I think his point was that regardless of whether those genes exist, he doesnt believe the extra energy expenditure will make a difference in body weight

[@Amethyst_Friend]

The short answer is yes. Every single phenotype has some kind of genetic component. It's just a matter of how big that component is; in other words the ratio of nature vs nurture.

[@charlesparrish2831]

Eat healthy bottom line;you may still be big but you’re body will benefit from healthy eating.The genes may keep you big but you’ll be healthy.

[@et7313]

Do these genes make me look fat?

[@recklessroges]

No, its your inherited cultural fashion sense ;-s

[@r.b.4611]

More biology and less physics on this channel!

[@TheRoyalInstitution]

Physics is what we're really good at! Good news though - our programmes team is actually doing a really great job getting new and interesting speakers in. We have some awesome sounding talks planned in the next couple of months on topics such as neuroscience, forensics, AI, psychoactive drugs, and pandemics. Plus cosmology and quantum physics of course.

[@r.b.4611]

Sounds great, you're doing good work on this channel.

[@williamarmstrong7199]

@@TheRoyalInstitution it is essential in these days of fake news and distorted facts to have a source of clear and acurate information to counter the people who believe stupid miss information like eating baking soda in lemon juice will adjust your internal body Ph level and cure every type of Cancer and every single condition from Genetic to physiological.. which it clearly dose nothing for given how nuts most of the supporters of this particular "Natural remedy" are.. ;) and I am not even going to start on flat Earth'ers. Keep up the good work!

[@BenTajer89]

I think the seasonal thing might not be like hibernation, but if you are colder you do burn more calories, and that should make you hungrier.

[@NetAndyCz]

But I sleep longer in winter and do less stuff so I am not sure I actually burn more calories...

[@keeperofthegood]

Wish I could have been there and asked a few questions too, like: Why is it, in the males of my family, that up until our mid 30's we have a generally under valued BMI, however following mid 30's that completely reverses. This is a truism that has been in the male lineage going back to pre-emmigration to the Americas and is well known and passed down informatively through the generations as a cautionary to watch for.

[@recklessroges]

My first guess would be that its a selected trait for pair-bonding. As long as an individual can remain attractive to a mate long enough to have children, then the genes will be passed on. This indicates that your lineage have been paired off and mated before reaching their 30's, (which is perfectly reasonable for your species.) After 30, there is a decline in hunting/farming ability so the most useful trait is caloric storage and more efficient caloric usage. This would enable better child-care, (though it would be at the expense of some other activities.) This is seen in the British populate that, (on average) over 50 they stop thinking, (huge caloric saving) and vote for Brexit.

[@keeperofthegood]

Indeed the vast majority of the family has been mated off before the old age of 18 through most of our recorded history, ending of course with the dark ages (of which no records are known). What strikes me is that there is a well known clocked outcome to mutation of the PRNP gene that is not active at birth outset, becomes active decades later, and is inherited. It has become recognized the brains of a measurable percentage of people with morbid obesity visually compare to people with PRNP gene damages, it does lead me to wonder if there is a correlation.

[@drewfisher1619]

I have always tought of calory counting as riddiculous. Thank you for articulating it so masterfully.

[@killerkendro]

It really isn’t. It’s very easy and vital to gaining or losing weight

[@DANGJOS]

I have an issue with what he said about visceral fat being 100% genetic. I read a study that said those fed a fructose sweetened drink gained more visceral fat than those fed glucose, even though the amount of weight gained was about the same. Is he sure it is 100% genetic, or could there be dietary factors that make a difference?

[@montycantsin8861]

DANG JOS I'm now convinced that sleep is the major factor. Prof. Matt Walker (aka Sleep Diplomat) offers lots of evidence for how important it is, and how bad sleep affects everything in our life, including our food choices.

[@redtrek2153]

I think there are many small factors that could add up. Fructose, for instance requires processing by the liver, and generally is considered to be more toxic than glucose. But I definitely think genetics is the dominant factor for fat distribution. Visceral fat would probably be a lot more to do with overall sugar consumption, rather than the ratios of glucose to fructose.

[@r.b.4611]

Is that the guy who was on the Joe Rogan podcast?

[@montycantsin8861]

R.B. yep.

[@bobbinkle4253]

DANG JOS ya he’s sure. You’re welcome

[@charlesparrish2831]

Just don’t eat much and eat healthy.

[@charlesparrish2831]

I put on a bloody stone;just say pounds…

[@mitzvahgolem8366]

Levi or Wrangler tight fit pants do.

[@charlesparrish2831]

Genes do affect size and weight bottom line!

[@andrewlankford9634]

Yes, they do. That's why I have a gene-free diet.