Question

Heredity has a significant effect on body weight. Discuss this.

Please give a detailed answer. Add supportive equations or flow diagrams if possible.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Relationship between body weight and hereditary can understood by taking examples of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is due to insulin resistance. Here the body is unable to use insulin. In type 2 diabetes, structure and function of B cells and blood level of insulin are normal. But the insulin receptor may be less, absent or abnormal, resulting in insulin resistance.

the most common cause of this insulin resistance is genetic.

The people with type 2 diabetes are usually overweight. The reason for this is that these people have normal insulin level, but due to insulin resistance, the body cells are not able to utilize insulin for moving glucose into the cells.

So the level of insulin keep on increasing in blood without being utilised by cells. This cause obesity in these individuals.