Is this you in the kitchen?

Last year, I stumbled across a new series of lectures on Food Ethics & Environment at Stanford University. Headlining the series was the incomparable Michael Pollan, who led an interactive discussion on the evolution of food culture in the U.S. I was amazed at the level of passion in the audience and moreover the knowledge level of the audience. I left inspired to take my time with food and eat a little healthier (that worked for about a week).

This year, Stanford again delivers a stellar lineup. Over the next few weeks and months– there will be discussions ranging from water, the affect of global warming on our food, fair trade coffee, and even a conversation with a organic farmer (it's Joel Salatin, one of the heroes from the "Omnivore's Dilemma").

So before you give thanks next week, consider a heaping serving of food science.

All events are free. They take place at the Annenberg Auditorium on the Stanford University Campus. The events are usually held on Thursday nights at 7pm. For more info, check out the Stanford Ethics Website.

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Given today's environment, it is surprising that there are still thin people around.

The origins of this epidemic are pretty easy to spot– lots of food and less opportunity for exercise. And yet, not everyone in the U.S. is overweight. So why is one person fat and the next thin?

One big reason is genetics. A number of twin, family and adoption studies have found that somewhere between 45-60% of body mass index (BMI) comes from the genes we inherit. In other words, some people are more likely to be sucked into a Super-Sized meal because of their genes.

So how might genes affect someone’s chances of succumbing to the mountain of food now available? Lots of ways.

Some people burn energy more slowly than other people. These folks need to eat less to maintain their weight. Not an easy thing to do!

Some people take longer to realize they are full. Others get hungrier more quickly after eating. Still others need more sweets and fat to get enjoyment from their food.

The last example was <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=main.showContent&id=2007-13974-007&view=fulltext&format=html
">addressed by a study last year. One of the reasons people eat is that they get a hit of dopamine when they do. The dopamine makes us feel good and once we get it, we feel less inclined to keep eating.

The study found that people with a certain version of the DRD2 gene needed more food to get enough dopamine to stop eating. So they ate more on average.

There are more and more studies finding gene variations just like this one. Finding these gene variations might be useful in creating new medicines to help people eat less by decreasing hunger, burning calories faster, etc.

Knowing about these gene variations might also help doctors identify who is at a greater risk for obesity. These folks can get early help in maintaining their optimal body weight.

Now none of this is an excuse for getting fat (although I wish it was). For the most part, genes that affect our BMI make maintaining a healthy weight harder, not impossible.

But what it also means is that the thin should be a bit nicer to the overweight. Recognize that it might be easier for the thin person to not overeat.

This is not to take away from the thin person's accomplishment. In a world awash in high calorie foods and with work and play involving a lot of sitting, it takes will power not to become overweight. Just remember that it is easier for some people to be thin.

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/trend/maps/index.htm

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