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Obesity could be down to genes, scientists sayDate: 06/09/2007 09:26:53
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Obesity could be the result of a single gene which works as a "master-switch", either telling the body to store fat or burn it, scientists have revealed.
The findings from the University of Texas, Southwest, come as around 300 million people across the world suffer with the condition, with obesity now the second biggest cause of death among adults in the UK.
While the adipose gene was first noted in fruit flies more than 50 years ago it is only now that scientists have discovered how it actually works.
A team of researchers at the university switched the gene on or off in a number of mice, observing that, while they were all fed the same amounts, mice with increased adipose activity were found to be leaner and less likely to suffer from diabetes than those without a properly functioning gene.
"From worms to mammals, this gene controls fat formation," explained the study's leader Jonathan Graff.
"It could explain why so many people struggle to lose weight and suggests an entirely new direction for developing medical treatments that address the current epidemic of diabetes and obesity."
The findings come soon after a report in the journal Science revealed that around half of all Europeans have at least one copy of the FTO gene, the first clear genetic link to obesity to be found by scientists.
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