Obesity is known to run in families; however, the meaning of this phenomenon has long been a subject of debate among students of human biology. The problem, of course, has been to determine the relative importance of genetic and environmental influences in the development of obesity. Studies of twins have disclosed a strong genetic component to obesity,1 but some adoption surveys2 , 3 have suggested that the family environment also contributes to the obese state.In this issue of the Journal, Stunkard et al.4 report the results of an adoption study that appears to resolve the controversy. The project used the . . .
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Theodare B. Van Itallie (1986) studied this question.
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