Unsurprising News: Obesity Is Genetic

[from Daily Mail]

Many people who become overweight may be hardwired for hunger, according to the results of two major genetic studies.

Researchers identified six genes linked to appetite control and obesity. Five of these were shown to be active in the brain.

The findings add to the growing evidence that whether a person is slim or fat is largely due to one’s state of mind rather than metabolic functions, such as fat storage.

People with a certain genetic make-up may be ‘hardwired’ from birth or early childhood to eat too much, the results suggest.

Both teams of scientists carried out genome wide association (GWA) studies of many thousands of DNA samples.

This kind of research looks for correlations between the variations in the genetic code and particular traits.

An international group conducting one study, the Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits (Giant), analysed genetic information from more than 32,000 people of European ancestry.

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