Scientists identify obesity genes

Scientists identify obesity genes

At least 18 new gene sites associated with obesity and 13 others linked to body fat distribution were identified by international researchers in a new study published online on Sunday in the journal Nature Genetics.

The large study analyzed data from 250,000 people and found 32 gene sites linked to obesity, 14 of which have been previously known. All but one of the gene sites linked to fat distribution were newly discovered by the study.

A third of American adults are classified as obese according to their body mass index (BMI). The growing public health problem of obesity is also escalating even in developing countries, raising fears of higher health care costs in treating heart disease, cancer, and other conditions which are related to obesity.

More calories retained in the body will result to excess weight. The exact cause depends on many factors like genes, lifestyle, and a culture that promotes fast food and abhors exercise.

Some people do not gain weight even if they don’t care about diet and exercise, while others become overweight even if they adopt a healthy lifestyle. Scientists believe that genes may explain the difference.

“If we could understand a lot more about why people are resistant to our environment and stay lean despite all the pressures that are to gain weight, we’d have a better shot at getting better therapies than we have now,” said Dr. Joel Hirschorn of the Children’s Hospital Boston, who was not part of the research team.

The multinational study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and other healthcare organizations, and was conducted by more than 400 researchers at 280 institutions in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Finland, and Iceland.

Posted by George Daniels on Monday October 11 2010, 7:40 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0