Family History
Cellulite can be passed down through families. Women who have cellulite in their mothers often develop it themselves. Cellulite is influenced by genes that affect metabolism, circulation and fat distribution beneath the skin. In 2010, Enzo Emanuele, M. Bertona, and D. Geroldi conducted an Italian study to examine the role that genetic factors may play in cellulite.
Researchers studied four hundred female patients. The group was composed of half patients who were healthy weight but had cellulite. The remaining 200 patients, who were used as a comparison group, had the same body mass index and age as the other two hundred, but did not have cellulite. Twenty-five polymorphisms (genetic variations) were studied in 15 genes. The authors found that two variations were strongly linked to cellulite after controlling for age and smoking status. They also considered body mass index and contraceptive usage. Experts located these variations on the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and hypoxia-inducible factor 1A (HIF1a) genes.
