Yes, we live in a so-called obesogenic environment—cheap junk food everywhere, thanks in part to subsidies going to the “’food industrial complex’ which manufactures obesogenic foods that foster addiction.” The root causes may make obesity difficult to escape. But, look, a lot of people do. If it was just the external environment, why isn’t everyone obese?
Some individuals seem to be more susceptible than others. This suggests a genetic component, supported by studies of twins and adopted kids. But, the genes we’ve identified only account for maybe 6 to 11% of the variation in body mass index between individuals. So, maybe variation in our “other genome” may be playing a role—all the different microbes that inhabit our body. We have a hundred times more bacterial genes inside us than human genes.
