Children mimic parents to become obese; genes only partly to blame
Eating habits taught to children by the parent of their same gender could have a stronger influence over childhood obesity than genetic makeup, according to a new study reposted in the International Journal of Obesity. Researchers from Peninsular Medical School, Plymouth, UK, showed that obese mothers were ten times more likely to have overweight daughters, while obese fathers were six times as likely to have overweight sons. The pattern was restricted to parents of the same sex as their ...
Comment
From 'Genomic Medicine' to the new horizon of epigenetics
by Sandy Starr
From our perspective at the Progress Educational Trust (PET), one of the most welcome aspects of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee's new report 'Genomic Medicine' is its consideration of public engagement issues. This section of the report appears to anticipate and complement PET's plans for its 2009 annual conference, entitled 'Does Genetics Matter? Help, Hype and the New Horizon of Epigenetics', which will take place in East London on Wednesday 18 November....
BSHG welcomes the House of Lords report on Genomic Medicine
by Dr Rob Elles
Since 2003, the framework for policy in Genetics in Medicine in the UK has been the Genetic White Paper 'Our Inheritance Our future.' There is no doubt that its implementation helped modernise and broaden the scope of genetics in the National Health Service (NHS). It developed new support structures including the National Genetics Education Development Centre and the National Genetic Reference Laboratories, and established the (short lived) Genetic Knowledge Parks....