The other week, I had the pleasure to talk for the parent coffee hour at Overton elementary.

It was their fitness day, which the kids had requested as a treat. In my presentation, I was talking about all the different body types and also that genetics play a huge role in how the body develops. One of the parents told me that she just found out, because her young daughter gained 30 pounds over the summer, that she was diagnosed with VLCADD. After her daughter’s diagnosis, she was diagnosed with it too.

If you were like me, I was not familiar with this at all. She explained parts of it and I told her that I would do an article about this. It’s very interesting and I don’t think many people know about this. VLCADD stands for Very Long Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency. I know a mouthful! VLCADD is a metabolic disease known as fatty acid oxidation. It’s a rare genetic disorder of metabolizing fats. Most people metabolize fats into energy, (or store as fat if too many calories are taken in) but someone with VLCADD can store it immediately into the body. That’s only one of the effects of this genetic disorder.

For someone like the parent who told me about this, it was a relief to find out that something was going on. She wishes she would have been diagnosed earlier so she could have dealt with it better and learn how to live with it. There are many people out there who work hard, eat sensibly and still have excess weight, or even continue to gain weight. What do they say in the U.S.? Don’t judge the book by its cover. Too many people judge overweight people that they don’t have self-respect, no eating limits, or don’t move enough.

As you know, I believe in respecting everyone for who they are. Don’t judge (period) until you walk in their shoes, or to start with, learn their story. This counts for all levels in life doesn’t it? Be caring, share kindness and show respect. People in general are made up differently from each other. I have written about the ectomorph, endomorph and mesomorph — the genetic makeup of a person.

The ectomorph is genetically slender and lean, with narrow hips and shoulders, small waist, long legs and arms. An ectomorph can eat what they want without gaining weight. However, they can be very unhealthy due to bad eating habits. I call it “skinny fat.”

The endomorph is genetically heavier with less muscle and higher fat percentage. Because of the genetic makeup of an endomorph, their bodies are more sensitive to calorie intake, typically strong legs and weak arms, and wider in the waist.

Then you have the mesomorph: naturally muscular, athletic, broad shoulders, narrow waist, strong arms and legs. They can gain weight easily but lose it easier than the endomorph.

So here we have a genetic makeup that completely changes someone’s life and the way they look. The ectomorph tries to gain weight and has a hard time doing so, especially muscle mass. The endomorph just looks at bad food the wrong way and gains weight. And the mesomorph can build muscles, and gain and lose fat easier. Of course not everyone fits exactly in one or the other category. So besides your genetic makeup, there can be so many other challenges people around you face.

Back to VCLADD — here we have a family where some of them have the VLCADD disorder, some do not. These are two forms of VCLADD, early onset — which if not diagnosed can be life-threatening. When your baby is born, they do the heel prick where one of the tests is for VCLADD. And the milder form, more common, MCLADD (medium chain acyl-coA dehydrogenase deficiency) is later onset. This one shows up with repeated bouts of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Or in the Overton parent’s case, a huge increase in weight in a short amount of time with no change in diet. I am a huge proponent of preventative medical care, for you and your children. So many challenges can be caught early when diagnosed quickly. Eat healthy to feed your body, move to help your body, spirit and mind. Share kindness and respect to nurture your soul and humanity.

Ester H. Marsh is director of healthy living at the J.F. Hurley Family YMCA.