Boffins find the gene that makes you fat
Friday April 13 2007
The researchers have identified a type of genetic variation that gives a child a 70pc higher risk of developing obesity compared to a child who has not inherited the variant. Although the scientists cannot explain how the gene involved makes obesity more likely, they believe that the discovery will start a race to find the fundamental reasons why some people are born with a predisposition to being fat.
"We are eating more and doing less exercise, and so average weight is increasing, but some people seem to put on more weight than others," said Prof Andrew Hattersely, of Peninsula Medical School in Exeter.
"Our findings suggest there's clearly a component to obesity that is genetic."
The study investigated variations in the DNA of a gene known as FTO which occur in patients with type-2 diabetes.
