[ad_1]
The researchers discovered that there is a genetic tendency to obesity. Jean-Paul Chbadenet / TNS
Mari A. Schaefer
Some overweight people say they do not eat more than thin friends and they exercise as much, but still can not lose weight.
The researchers now think that they know why this experience is entirely possible. They hope this explanation will help de-stigmatize obesity and offer new ways to prevent killer-related illness, including cancer, among younger and younger Americans.
Scientists at the Broad Institute of the Mbadachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University discovered that there was a genetic trend to obesity. The results were published Thursday in the journal Cell.
"We've known for a long time that some people are born with DNA predisposed to obesity," said lead author Amit V. Khera, a cardiologist at the Mbadachusetts General Hospital's Center for Genomic Medicine, in a press release.
"We can now quantify these differences in a meaningful way and potentially explore new ways to improve our health."
"We have known for a long time that some people are born with the DNA that predisposes them to obesity.
Obesity is a major global health problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 40% of American adults and about 18.5% of children are considered obese.
The researchers examined published data on the impact of more than 2.1 million genome sites on body weight.
They distilled the information into one score for each individual. They validated the score by comparing it to data from nearly 120,000 people in several large-scale studies, including the UK Biobank, a free-access database containing health information collected from half a year. million participants and used for research purposes. They found that the 10% of adults with the highest scores were 25 times more likely to be severely obese than those with the lowest scores.
"There is a golden period of intervention that can reduce the risk of obesity, and this period is childhood.
"Your susceptibility to obesity is based on the variants that you have inherited from your parents," said researcher Sekar Kathiresan, director of the Cardiovascular Disease Initiative at the Broad Institute, in a press release.
But Kathiresan also said that genetics does not necessarily control your weight – even if some people have to work a lot more than others to be thin.
When the researchers compared the weight of those who presented a risk of inherited obesity and those who did not do it between 18 and 50 years, they found that there was a difference of 30 pounds on average . But when they looked at the birth weight of both groups, there was no difference, he said.
The difference in inherited weight gain begins to appear when people are around three or four years old, Kathiresan said.
"There is a golden period of intervention that can reduce the risk of obesity and that period is childhood," he said.
But even after childhood, physical exercise and good nutrition can change the risks of inheritance, Kathiresan said.
The results of the research give a better insight into the biology of obesity and explain why some people remain slim. The study of thin people could help develop new treatments to help others avoid becoming obese, Kathiresan said.
"We hope this research truly destigmatizes obesity," he said.
The study focused mainly on people of European descent. Researchers have stated that more research is needed on different ancestral histories.
Tribune News Service
[ad_2]
Source link
