In 2007, the FTO (fat, mass, and obesity) gene was discovered which predisposes humans to develop obesity. This obesity gene is found in about 75% of people from Europe, and African Americans but only 44% of Asians.

People with one copy of the FTO gene have an increased risk of obesity of 30%. A person with two copies of the FTO gene have a risk of obesity of 70%. Dr. Ruth Loos recently did an analysis of dozens of studies that included over 200,000 individuals. 

Some of the people who exercised regularly—the equivalent of walking for 30 minutes 5 days a week—turned off their obesity genes. There was an across the board 30% reduction in obesity for those who exercised, no matter how many copies of the FTO gene they had. 

Heart disease kills more people than any other disease. Major causes of heart attacks include cigarette smoking, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. You can also inherit defective genes from your father or mother that will increase your risk of having a heart attack. 

You can control what you eat but your genetic make up is beyond your control. This turns out NOT to be true. 

A large study screened a population of 8000 Europeans, Chinese, South Asians, Arabs, and Latin Americans for genetic defects on chromosome 9 in the p21 region. They looked for four specific defects in a single DNA building block (single nucleotide polymorphisms).

Justin Garcia and a team of researchers at Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, have just published a study showing a genetic basis for human sexual promiscuity and infidelity. This is the first study of its kind.

Sexual promiscuity is noncommittal sexual intercourse with non-monogamous partners, or a “one-night stand.” Sexual infidelity was defined in this study as any physical sexual activity with someone besides one's current self-identified committed relationship partner, or “cheating.”

(In the Christian community infidelity would be more narrowly defined as sexual activity with anyone other than the person to whom you are married.)