Shortly after the dinosaurs roamed the earth, I was a little boy growing up in Queens, N.Y., and I do remember my late mother would sing a song to put me to sleep. The song was originally sung by Doris Day and became quite famous when it was used in a 1965 Alfred Hitchcock movie, The Man Who Knew Too Much. The movie starred James Stewart as well. The song was entitled, “ Que Sera, Sera”, and this translates to “Whatever Will Be, Will Be.” The song’s lyrics sort of covers a person’s life as he/she is constantly thinking/asking about what the future holds for her/him. The reply by the parent is that the daughter/son should not worry about the future because destiny and fate already have predetermined the outcomes…”Whatever will be, will be.”
This entry is not about the death of Alfred Hitchcock, who did succumb to kidney failure most likely brought on by obesity related co-morbidities. Rather, I want to explore the concept of fate and destiny as this relates to health-related conditions.
Yes, we are all born with certain genetic make-ups that will, in large part, impact our health as the years transpire. The genetic propensity for developing diabetes, cancer, heart disease and other life-threatening conditions predispose us the eventual occurrence of these syndromes.
However, there is a very important contribution of environmental factors that contribute to these diseases as well. Poor weight control will work together with the genetic predisposition to markedly increase the chances of developing the medical conditions outlined above. Let’s add one more category to this: Contracting Covid (or one of the future mutations) will have a much worse potential outcome for those people with poor weight control than normal weight individuals.
So, sorry Doris Day…it is NOT “Que Sera, Sera” when it comes to the health arena. We all can impact our medical “fate and destiny” by focusing and being successful with our weight control efforts.
Enjoy Doris Day singing “Que Sera, Sera”