Thinness... an inheritable trait

Prof. Gregory Livshits from the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University and colleagues from King's College in London have conducted a study on over 3,000 women who were identical or fraternal twins to determine if thinness was an inheritable trait. When setting the control of the womans age the differences in womens' body sizes could be predicted in the genes over 50 percent of the time. Prof. Livshits conducted his study of each twin pair based on "total lean mass". Prof. Livshits concluded that although the gene played an important role in determing body size, he also noted that these genetic predispositions could be overcome by changing the lifestyle and environment of the women. Until now no laboratory could associate a body's lean mass with genetics, but Tel Aviv's University Lab had great success drawing also from other knowledge and methods aquired while conducting their genetics of aging of body composition research. So women everywhere don't let society tell you what you're supposed to look like when it just might very well be in your DNA and out of your control.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401120505.htm