LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The battle of the bulge inspires today's "ASK CNN" question, from Spout Springs, North Carolina.</s>KARLA POMILIO-HANCOCK: Hi, my name is Karla Pomilio-Hancock, and I am from Spout Springs, North Carolina, and my question is what is the role of genetics in weight management?</s>ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Doctors know that our genes do indeed play a role in what we weigh, and there are probably several ways that genes do this. First of all, our genes may influence our metabolism, and second of all, our genes may influence our body shape. So for example, if you come from a family of people with thick ankles, no matter how much you diet, you may just have to face life with thick ankles. But doctors also emphasize that you shouldn't let your genetic history dictate your weight. Your genes may mean that you'll never become a skinny, little supermodel, but that doesn't mean that you can't get yourself down to a healthy weight. You can think of it this way: Americans are fatter now than they were 20 years ago, and it's the same gene pool. So that tells us that genetics does not dictate our weight.
Ask CNN: What Is the Role of Genetics in Weight Management?