Enzyme Allows Some to Never Get Fat

by Martha Edwards (Subscribe to Martha Edwards's posts)
Aug 17th 2009 9:00AM

sxc.hu

You know those super annoying people who seem to eat endless amounts of junk and never gain an ounce? The ones who swear up and down that they don't work out and don't watch what they eat and yet they effortlessly slide into size 4 jeans every day. Well, as it turns out, a few of them might just be telling the truth. Recent studies have found that there's an enzyme at least partially responsible for making you fat, and some people just don't have it. Lucky jerks.

According to research at the University of California at San Francisco, the enzyme MGAT2 -- found in your intestines -- determines how our food is metabolized; it can either be turned into energy or stored as fat. And studies on mice found that when they were missing MGAT2, they didn't gain either, regardless of how much they ate. That's not all -- the absence of the enzyme also prevented them from developing obesity-related disorders like diabetes.

Still, it'll be a long time until this kind of research can be applied to humans, so in the meantime, make sure you keep eating healthy and exercising.

If you're needing to slim down in a hurry, why not try the Skinny Jeans Workout?

Comments (49)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Winsyrstrife 8-17-2009 @ 11:31AM

I am ever so grateful the woman in that picture does NOT have the enzyme. Mmm, mmm. Thickness. =)

It seems we're finding out there are many conditions that can cause weight gain / serious problems losing weight. Maybe that should be kept in mind the next time someone mentally writes off an overweight person as an eating machine.

Harry 8-17-2009 @ 8:00PM

That's a dude in the photo, dude.

dave 8-17-2009 @ 2:05PM

Don't waste your money on these diet fads and books if you want to lose weight and were not blessed with the MGAT2 enzyme just take this tip.....stop stuffing your face with so much food and get off your butt..

James 8-17-2009 @ 2:44PM

Dave, have you always been an ignorant jerk, or did you study?

Denise 8-17-2009 @ 3:31PM

Thank you Dave! It's about time everyone stopped making excuses and started doing something about it. And no I am not blessed to have that enzyme . I work at it.

Regina 8-17-2009 @ 3:38PM

Thats BS, I work hard all day, I dont eat much. (having fruit right now) ..and I'm still overweight. I have tried everything and have pretty much given up. You must be a thin person that dosn't have any idea how hard it is. In fact, I bet, you stuff your face more than I!!

Alix 8-17-2009 @ 5:16PM

Ok so it's alright for skinny people to eat just as much or more but people with weight problems can't because it shows on the outside and society isn't okay with it. That's not very fair, my sister is that type of skinny person, i'm the overweight one, it started in childhood, because apparently my parents wanted me to be fat, i'm not blaming them now, but it is how it started, if i wouldn't have been fat as a kid i wouldn't be fat now. I've starved myself to lose weight, meanwhile my sister eats candy all day and nothing but fast food, and what happens she loses weight and is a size zero. So that's how we solve the problem yes, let skinny people eat all the crap they want and overweight people restrict their diets and make us eat only healthy stuff?

Chris 8-17-2009 @ 5:46PM

you know that this Dave guy is right. I was "over weight" my self, and did something about it.first I only allowed myself to only put 1/3 of my normal portion of food on a plate no seconds. Then I started jogging. I have lost most of the weight I want to. The thing is once you start you cant quit. Yea I have bad days but each is a new day. I guess what I am saying is eat better and quit making excusses. ie.. stop stuffing your face and get off your butt.

size 12 and happy 8-17-2009 @ 6:46PM

in response to dave who said,
"Don't waste your money on these diet fads and books if you want to lose weight and were not blessed with the MGAT2 enzyme just take this tip.....stop stuffing your face with so much food and get off your butt..."

if you are NOT blessed with the enzyme, you don't need to worry about stuffing your face. re-read the article. i'd rather be carrying a few extra pounds than be unable to comprehend a simple news article, like you!

Annee 8-17-2009 @ 6:50PM

So Dave, and all you other perfect people out there, when will you be canonized? Then we can call you Saint Dave of the perfect body.
LOL
If what you say were true, there would be NO overweight people. Sounds good, sounds tough and macho, but the reality for most overweight people is not so simple. May God forgive your self-righteousness.

vern 8-17-2009 @ 2:45PM

Yes, here we go again. Maybe this enzyme does have a little to do with weight gain/loss. The bottom line is your lifestyle, and how you manage your own diet, exercise, habits. There is no one thing that leads to obesity, But when you get no exercise, eat terrible foods, have high stress levels, low self esteem, you are likely to have a weight problem. Genetics have a lot to do with this factor as well, and we can't really change this, to any major degree anyway. If you wish to be healthy and fit, as fit as you can anyway, you will get off your lazy butt and do something about it instead of whining about everything and doing nothing.

cushie 8-17-2009 @ 7:57PM

Hey vern -- you are oh so wrong!!!!!!
have you ever heard of CUSHINGS ? ?
it is most often caused by tumor on the pitutry gland.
I went from near perfectly shaped, very active healthy person
, to very over weight nearly disabled person - at one point I lived on diet ills to keep my eyes open , my food intake was very limited as I gave all I had to not gai weight, I could fast and gain.
Yes many people eat their way up on the scale but I know from expierence that that is not a;ways the case. So before you judge people and lump them all into one clump look in the mirror and realize someday no matter how perfect you think you are IT COULD BE YOU ! ! ! ! ! I never in my life thought that I would be over weight, I never even had a strech mark after I had my kids, and with the first nobody even realized I was expecting ..........you never know the whys and hows ----------- So you may do well to bag the ego cuz honey you sound like your head is as overly big as my body, and well at least I know mine has been casued by a medical condition. Oh and for the record, I worked a highly physical job for 10 hrs a day followed by an hour of gym time 2 - 3 days a week and still continued to gain weight so NO lazy over eating did not put the weight on me.

Maia 8-17-2009 @ 3:05PM

oh great, now the people that DO just overeat and sit on their lazy fat butts and complain about their weight are going to use this as an excuse to be huge. I have to work to stay thin but I do WORK at it I don't expect it to just happen. Anyone can be in good shape if they try. I lost 100 lbs of baby weight in 1 year from good old fashioned diet and exercise!!!!

Terrie 8-17-2009 @ 4:33PM

Didn't your doctor tell you not to gain so much when pregnant? Not only did you endanger your baby's life but your's also. SO who are you to talk about people?

amanda 8-17-2009 @ 4:38PM

well good for u loosing 100 pounds but it is a provewn fact all people are different

teri 8-17-2009 @ 4:06PM

I eat whatever I want then some and never gain weight. I must have the ensymes...

Glenn 8-17-2009 @ 9:30PM

If you re-read the article you will see that you DO NOT have the enzymes, it's having the enzymes that make you fat. Just wanted to point that out. Not trying to be mean like everyone else. anyways, have fun. . . lol, i must've somehow acquired the enzymes because when I was 21 I was 165 and lean, now I'm 27 and weigh 180 and i'm having a hard time trimming the excess fat off my tummy and sides, i'm not fat by any means yet, but I do have some extra skin lol. anyways, sorry, byes

Tammy 8-17-2009 @ 4:26PM

I'm not buying it. I was fat for 20yrs and and I did it to myself deliberately. I was aquaintance raped and didn't want to be attractive anymore after that so I sabotaged myself and started eating eveything in sight and I got fat. I also lost 130lbs 2 and a half years ago and have successfully kept it off, all by myself no help from anyone or any special diet. I simply cut back on my calories and started eating very healthy and allowed myself a couple of days a week to eat what I want. I still do this and it works. I also exercised to help burn off more calories. I still do this as well.
I believe people are constantly trying to find excuses as to why they are fat and remain so. I know this because I used to do it myself. If you allow yourself to get fat, you can also allow yourself to get thin.

Alix 8-17-2009 @ 5:22PM

It's much much easier to get fat then get thin

Anya 8-17-2009 @ 3:51PM

Dave and Denise, I'm overweight. I do not 'stuff my face". I don't drink soda, I don't eat sugery foods (except on special occations, like birthdays, and even then, I have one small slice of cake, and one small scoop of ice cream), I work out twice daily (ontop of working construction). Not every one is fat because of what they eat. I have PCOS, which causes thyroid problems, rapid weight gain (with out changing my diey AT ALL, I gained 100 pounds over the course of a year when I was 15, because my thyroid went to hell. I was thin before that), and difficulty losing weight. We have yet to be able to find a medication, or combination of medications to get my thyroid under control. I have a very set died, and I eat 1,300 calories a day, low sugar, low carb, lean meats, high vegetable and fruit intake, and monitored fat intake (I have a dietician and a nutritionalist helping me try to work out a diet).

I've been working hard to try to lose weight since it first became a problem when I was 15, 8 years ago. Not every one is fat because they 'stuff their face'.