News April 2007

Gene Makes People Fat, Say Scientists

All those overweight people who were tired of giving various excuses for putting on weight can now breathe a sigh of relief as scientists recently announced that they have found the gene that one in six people at risk of getting obese.

People with a gene called FTO are 70 percent more prone to become overweight.

According to researchers, they have detected 50 genes linked to obesity in humans. These genes control message system which is linked with guts, fat stores and appetite centre in the brain. These genes give the signal that whether you are stomach is full or you want more food to satiate your hunger.

These genes can be easily detected whether such genes are present in your body or not.
The Genetic Health clinic in London's Harley Street will test the genes for several variations like one gene makes insulin store fat easily, another urges you for food, while the third gene affects adrenaline.

If one has the wrong combination of these genes then he will find it tough to loose weight—no matter how much he sweats out.

There are other factors too that make one overweight.

It’s hereditary too
It’s hereditary too—passes on from grandmother to mother and to her son. It is often seen that kids with obese mothers are fat. Kids whose grandmothers devoured high calorie diet are obese this despite even if the kids mothers are of moderate build.

Virus also fuels obesity
Researchers have found that several types adenovirus that cause cold, bronchitis can make people obese. It was found by Indian researcher, Nikhil Dhurandhar two decades ago. Nikhil observed that birds infected with the adenovirus had put on too much of weight.

The signs of adenovirus are present in around 20 percent of obese people and on average are 33lb bulkier than normal people who were infected with the virus.

How this virus brings on this change is not yet known? However, the Pennington Biomedical research centre, Louisiana, is keen to study the link between viruses and obesity.