Survival of the FITtest: Part II

At the core of Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory of natural selection was the concept of organisms passing down of traits that ultimately made their species more fit for survival. Here in America we are experiencing a de-evolution of humanity as we eat and sit ourselves death, mostly by choice. Unfortunately for my generation and the generations that follow, there is a trait that is being passed along that could potentially mean our lifespan may not exceed that of the Baby Boomers:

“Our research indicates that higher numbers of young and middle-age American adults are becoming obese at younger and younger ages,” researcher Joyce Lee, MD, MPH, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of Michigan, says in a news release.

Researchers found that 20% of people born between 1966 and 1985 were obese in their 20s, an obesity prevalence milestone not reached by their parents until their 30s or by their grandparents until their 40s or 50s.

That means more Americans are getting heavier earlier in their lives and carrying the extra pounds for longer periods of time, which suggests that the impact for chronic disease and life expectancy may be worse than previously thought. - WebMD

 Does this mean Americans are developing a genetic predisposition to obesity, metabolic disease and coronary heart disease that is being passed along to our youth? The simple answer is NO. This "trait" that is being passed along has NOTHING to do with genetics and EVERYTHING to do with the lifestyle choices that are being demonstrated for our youth. Kids growing up don't know about making lifestyle choices. Children aren't born with the skills of survival; it is something taught to us by our parents. You don't see mama bear leading her cubs into the territory of dangerous predators do you? So why as adults and parents do we demonstrate lifestyle habits for kids that are going to kill them from the inside out? Doesn't make a whole lot of sense does it?

It is time we shake the "genetic" phantom as the cause for much of our health related issues. The truth is unhealthy kids mostly have unhealthy parents when it comes to obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and a sedentary lifestyle. You know the saying, "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree"? That's not because the apple is on the same biological path as the tree just because it came from it, it is because the tree is ultimately the apple's environment. Our environment plays a HUGE role in not only the life path we take, but the path our biology ends up expressing. It is up to parents and adults to stop the de-evolution of humans and begin demonstrating the proper survival skills for our youth so they can enjoy the fruits of a long and healthy life. To change the course of our fate and our children, we have to start making BETTER lifestyle choices that make us more fit to survive.