ABSTRACT
Since the 1980s, the prevalence of obesity has more than doubled in the United States, where 36% of adults and 17% of children and adolescents are now obese.1,2 The obesity epidemic has largely been fueled by a rapid globalization of the Westernized lifestyle,3 and as such, it represents a public health challenge in both high-and low-income countries.4 However, even in the most obesogenic of environments, some individuals experience more difculties maintaining a healthy body weight than others, suggesting that nonenvironmental factors also contribute to obesity susceptibility.
