Big-bone genes 'cause obesity'
By Liz Bennett
September 04, 2006
STOCKY people battling the bulge may legitimately be able to put their predicament down to being big-boned, according to new research presented at the International Congress on Obesity in Sydney.
While the news that a genetic defect causes an increase in fat, muscle mass and bone density may come as a welcome excuse for some, the downside is that it only accounts for about 1 per cent of obese people.
"Approximately one in 100 people with clinical obesity defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) more than 30, may have an MC4R gene problem which explains their obesity," said British researcher Dr Sadaf Farooqi.
Dr Farooqi said the MC4R gene is one of the most common genetic causes of obesity.
"Working out how the MC4R gene and other genes in this pathway regulate appetite and weight will be important in developing ways to prevent and treat obesity," she said.
"This work shows that appetite is very tightly biologically determined and not simply a moral failing."
Studies have shown that in severely obese children affected by mutations in the MC4R gene, injections of leptin led to normal appetite and weight.
But Queensland Institute of Medical Research scientist Professor Emma Whitelaw cautioned against viewing genes as an "excuse" for weight gain and said treatment would not come fast enough to save the next generation from the perils of obesity.
"You are going to have to do something about the obesity epidemic … we can't wait for gene therapy to solve this problem," she said.
"I don't think we can rely on our genetic knowledge to help us save a generation."
Dr Farooqi and a colleague are the lead researchers in an international gene study of more than 2000 severely obese children, which aims to improve the understanding of appetite regulation and body weight.
Obesity and Genetics
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