1. How is obesity defined? What is energy balance?
2. List and briefly describe 5 diseases/conditions that are more common in those who are obese.
3. What is the Dutch Famine Birth Cohort Study? What was discovered about those who were in the womb during the 2nd or 3rd trimester during World War II?
4. What does it mean if a gene is epigenetically regulated? What is the most common type of epigenetic attachment? What does the author suspect happened in the womb during World War II to explain the cohort’s high rates of obesity?
5. What are leptin and ghrelin? How do they affect energy balance? If someone had a SNP in a gene that coded for one of these proteins, what might the effect be? How does this differ from epigenetic regulation?
6. In Chapter 5, the author highlights a child name Paradorn. Based on information in chapter 5, list and describe three scenarios that may explain his obesity.
7. At the beginning of chapter 5, the author discusses the hypothesis that your mother’s behavior and stress during pregnancy may be at least partially responsible for your current weight status. How do you feel about that? Do you tend to agree or disagree? Which do you feel has more of an impact on your weight: genetic heritage or behavior and environment?
