Jillian and Jackie are twins, but one weighs 41 kg more than the other.
Professor Tim Spector has been following their development for 25 years as part of the UK nationwide twin study program. He believes that the difference in their weight is due to tiny microorganisms - microbes that live in our intestines.
“Every time you eat something, you are feeding hundreds of trillions of germs. You never eat alone,” he explains.
Stool samples taken from each of the sisters revealed that the thinner Jillian has a very diverse intestinal flora, while Jackie has very few intestinal microbes.
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"The more this diversity, the thinner the person. If you are too heavy, then your microbes are not as diverse as they could be," says Professor Spector, who bases his findings on a study of 5,000 people.
To diversify your microbiome, you need to eat a healthy and varied diet rich in various kinds of fiber.
As the professor points out, most Britons consume only half of the required amount of fiber.
fruits, including berries and pears
vegetables such as broccoli and carrots
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Why do some people strictly follow different diets, exercise regularly, but still cannot lose weight, while others do almost nothing, but remain in good shape?
Scientists at the University of Cambridge believe that about 40-70% of our weight depends on the set of genes that we inherited from our parents.
"This is a lottery," says Professor Sadaf Farooqi. "It is now clear that genes affect our weight, and if you have a defect in certain genes, that may be enough for obesity."
These specific genes can affect appetite, the amount of food consumed, and even what kind of food a person prefers. Genes also determine how we burn calories and whether our bodies are able to efficiently distribute fat.
In total, there are at least 100 genes that affect weight, including the MC4R gene, which controls hunger and appetite.
According to experts, one person in every thousand has a defective variant of the MC4R gene, which means that its owners tend to be more hungry, and they are drawn to more fatty foods.
"You can't do anything about your genes, but some people will find it helpful to know that their genes increase their chances of gaining weight. Knowing this, they can change their diet and exercise," says Professor Farooqi.
3. Is dinner still to the enemy?
There is some truth in the old saying: "Eat breakfast yourself, share lunch with a friend, and give dinner to the enemy," but not in the sense in which you might think.
Obesity expert Dr. James Brown says the later we eat, the more likely we are to gain weight. And not because we are less active at night, as many people think, but because of our internal clock.
“Our bodies are tuned to deal with calories most efficiently during the daytime when it’s light, not at night when it’s dark,” he explains.
It is for this reason that those who work in shifts or at different hours can find it harder not to gain weight.
At night, our body has difficulty digesting fats and sugar, so it is better to eat something high in calories before seven in the evening in case you want to lose weight or not gain weight.
Over the past ten years, the national average in Britain has shifted dinner time from 5:00 pm to around 8:00 pm, and this has also contributed to the increase in overweight people, Dr. Brown points out.
But even with today's pace of life and no matter what your working hours are, there are things you can control to keep fit.
According to Dr. Brown's rules, you can't ignore breakfast or eat just one slice of toasted bread in the morning.
For breakfast, you need to eat something that contains protein, some fat and carbohydrates, such as eggs and a piece of bread made from wholemeal flour. This way you will feel full for longer.
This should be followed by a substantial nutritious lunch and a lighter dinner.
4. How to trick your brain
According to the government sociological group Behavioral Insights Team , the British do not track how much food they consume, and as a result, they underestimate the calories they receive by 30-50%.
Behavioral scientist Hugo Harper offers several ways to subconsciously change your eating habits so that you don't count calories all the time.
For example, it will be more effective not to rely on your own willpower, but simply to remove from sight something that whets your appetite.
Therefore, do not lay out unhealthy snacks in plain sight, it is better to put a bowl of fruit or something useful there.
Do not sit in front of the TV with a packet of cookies - put on the saucer as many cookies as you are going to eat (maximum two), and with this amount go into the living room.
Dr. Harper also advises substituting rather than canceling something entirely, especially if you love it - just go for the low-calorie option.
For example, drink low-calorie sodas. Or reduce the serving size. This will be more effective than trying, for example, to completely break the habit of drinking tea with chocolate chip cookies.
The success of bariatric surgery lies not only in the fact that it reduces the stomach, but also in the subsequent change in hormonal levels.
Hormones control our appetite, and doctors have found that bariatric surgery - the most effective treatment for obesity - increases the number of hormones that make us feel full, and decreases those that make us feel hungry.
However, we are talking about a major operation, which consists in reducing the volume of the stomach, sometimes by 90%, and it is recommended only for those people whose body mass index is at least 35.
Scientists at Imperial College London have recreated the gut hormones that cause appetite changes after such surgery, and are currently conducting new clinical trials with them.
Patients are offered a mixture of three hormones injected daily for four weeks.
"Patients feel less hungry, eat less and lose two to eight kilograms in 28 days," says Trisha Tan.
If this method is found to be safe, it is planned to use it in the future until the patient reaches normal weight.
This report first appeared in the BBC documentary The Truth About Obesity read more...
