Genes to thank for their thinness, according to a study

• A new study found that the amount of fat you carry on your body can be largely due to your genes.
• While some thin people attribute to their lean physique a discipline in terms of food and exercise, research suggests that this is not always the case.
• "We have much less control over our weight than we might think," said the study's lead author.

One study suggested that thin people are lean because of a genetic advantage and not always because they are more disciplined in portion control.

New research from the University of Cambridge indicates that genetic maps are stacked in favor of thin people and against those considered obese.

"This study shows for the first time that healthy thin people are generally skinny because they have fewer genes that increase the risk of being overweight and not because they are morally superior, as suggested by some people. people, "said Professor Sadaf. Farooqi of the Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolism Sciences of Cambridge who led the study.

While it's easy to judge and criticize an individual for his weight, "science shows that things are much more complex," he added. "We have much less control over our weight than we might think."

The DNA of 1,622 thin volunteers from the experiment, called a study on lean and thin subjects (STILTS), was compared to that of 1,985 people with severe obesity and 10,433 witnesses of normal weight.

The researchers acknowledged that factors such as ease of access to high calorie foods and a sedentary lifestyle could affect a person's weight, but they noted that he There was considerable individual variation in a population sharing the same environment.

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"We already know that people can be thin for different reasons," said Professor Farooqi after the publication of the study in the journal PLOS Genetics. "Some people just are not interested in food while others can eat what they want, but never gain weight.If we find the genes that prevent them from gaining weight, we may be able to target these genes to regain weight loss strategies and help people who do not have this benefit. "

Three in four (74%) of the STILTS cohort had a family history of wasting and poor health, and the team found significantly more frequent genetic changes in thin individuals.

The authors of the study said that this could allow them to identify new genes and biological mechanisms that help people stay slim.

In the UK, more than six out of ten adults (59-65%) are overweight, while one in four adults and one in five children aged 10 to 11 are obese, according to the NHS.

Dr. Ines Barroso of the Wellcome Sanger Institute, who collaborated in the study, adds: "As expected, we found that obese people had a higher genetic risk score than normal-weight people, which contributes to their risk of being overweight, charged against them. "