Monday, March 30, 2009
Most experts are already quite convinced that obesity in UK could be a result of awry genes. Researchers have discovered that variations in the FTO gene can increase the risk of becoming obese. Almost half the population carries a copy of the variant gene and to add steam to this issue is the fact that people with this variant gene on an average weigh 1.6 kilograms heavier than those who don't have the variant; in fact, 16% of the population also carries two copies of the variant and those people are 3kgs heavier on an average. In addition, variant carriers were at an increased risk for diabetes.
Scientists have now discovered that the FTO gene codes for an enzyme that can directly proceed to work on the DNA and modify it – so much so that it can control the turning on and off of other genes. Highly expressed in the hypothalamus, the FTO controls hunger and satiety and there levels are highly influenced by feeding and fasting.
In addition, an individual can be genetically predisposed to weight gain and now it seems that infections could also hold the key; AD-36 infections can actually make the fat cells to multiply. Studies have shown that AD-36 infections in chicken, mice, and monkeys can be cause for huge weight gains in animals without increasing food intake. Studies in humans also reveal that about 33% of obese adults had contracted AD-36 at some point in their lives, as compared to 11% of lean men and women. In fact, such is the AD-36 action that it continues to aid weight gain long after the infection is cured.
