CNN reported on 12 Apr that researchers have found another gene that may make you fat! The gene is named FTO, and British scientists discovered that people who carry two copies of a variation of the FTO gene weighed, on average, 7 pounds more than people who lack it. Unlike other genes thought to be involved with appetite or calorie burning, scientists have no idea yet what FTO is supposed to do.
But research published in the journal Science shows strong evidence of a link. Using blood samples provided by more than 38,000 people, scientists found that those who had one copy of the gene variation had a 30 percent increased risk of obesity, and carriers of two copies had almost a 70 percent increased risk. The study included mostly white Europeans, and about one in six of them are thought to carry two copies of the gene variant.
About a third of American adults are obese, and millions more are overweight. Bad diets and too little exercise are the chief factors. But innate biology plays some role, and researchers are exploring a variety of genes and hormones that seem involved in the balancing act of weight gain and loss.
But research published in the journal Science shows strong evidence of a link. Using blood samples provided by more than 38,000 people, scientists found that those who had one copy of the gene variation had a 30 percent increased risk of obesity, and carriers of two copies had almost a 70 percent increased risk. The study included mostly white Europeans, and about one in six of them are thought to carry two copies of the gene variant.
About a third of American adults are obese, and millions more are overweight. Bad diets and too little exercise are the chief factors. But innate biology plays some role, and researchers are exploring a variety of genes and hormones that seem involved in the balancing act of weight gain and loss.
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