Nature vs Nurture Debate

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We often think what makes us who we are today or why we act the way we do. Is it the environment that leads us to think and act in certain ways or is it already in our genes. These thoughts cause us to think about the nature and nurture debate. The 2 life stages I am going to talk about are 4-9 (childhood) and 10-18 (adolescence). Nature is all of the genes and hereditary factors that influence who we are such as our physical appearances (eye colour, hair colour, height, weight and skin colour) and our personalities (physical, intellectual, emotional and social skills) you could also get genetic diseases such as down’s syndrome , fragile X syndrome. It is basically what is in your DNA. Nurture means how life has influenced us through our early childhood experiences, how an individual was raised, an individuals chosen lifestyle, the media, an individuals family, the individuals friends, the individuals religion, education, school and jobs. Is obesity a result of nature or nurture? Does eating a lot of junk food make you fat or is it genetics? Is it our metabolic rate that causes us to be obese or slim as some people do not gain weight even if they eat a lot of junk food? Timothy Frayling ,Professor of Human Genetics at the University Of Exeter thinks that “genetics factors are the main driver for obesity in today’s environment. Twin and adoption studies show that consistently that variation in body mass index has a strong genetic component with estimated effects of up to 70%.” Studies also show that people carrying 2 copies of a gene associated with obesity (the FTO gene) are, on average, heavier than those carrying 2copies of the protective version. A recent study of over 200,000 people showed that the FT0 variant had a stronger effect in sedentary people than in those who are physically active, while studies of physical activity in schoolchildren show that
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