Genetic X Obesity

            As most people know that obesity is one of the rising issues in people from all ages in developed country. The incidence of obesity rapidly increasing in adulthood and childhood whereby obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally with more than 1 billion adults are overweight.

            The main issue is does increase consumption of energy dense food causes obesity or it is cause by genetic?

            Geneticist in Cambridge discovered two defective copies of gene call Ob from in obese children, which inhibit leptin production known to suppress appetite and metabolism in mice. Further research discovered that mice that are injected with leptin experience rapid weight lost. Could this be the cure for human obesity?

On the other hand, researchers discovered a hereditary mutation in gene ENPP1 that cause insulin resistance maybe the casusative factor that contribute to obesity in children and onset of type II diabetes. The risk of obesity is associated with gene variant.

On top of that, a common genetic variant change in a region of DNA known as INSIG2 been identified to associate with obesity which has a role in fat production. This was proven by US researchers led by Alan Herbert at Boston University Medical School, found that two copies of the C variant is 22% more likely to have BMI greater than 30.

So does genetic have any relationship with obesity?

Then have you wonder why do some individuals does not gain weight by eat pile of foods whilst some that rapidly gaining weird regardless of the amount of food consumption? According to Mark McCarthy, University of Oxford, he discovered that every two altered copies of FTO gene would put 3kilograms heavier compare to the normal copies and increases the risk of obesity by 30% for every single altered copy of FTO.

Researches from University of California, Berkeley identified a gene known as DNA-PK that plays a critical regulatory role in conversion of dietary carbohydrate to fat which prevent obesity to over-consumption of high carbohydrate diet. It proven that mice fed with high percentage of carbohydrate with DNA-PK disable were leaner due to deficiency of conversion of carbohydrate into fat.

Based on the above researches and finding, does obesity really related to genetic? Well, personally I do agree that genetic play a major role in human life as it manipulate every single cell in our body and its metabolism.

References

1.      NewScientist, Gene makes some people fatter 21 April 2007, viewed 20^th March 2012

< http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19426005.800-gene-makes-some-people-fatter.html>

2.      NewScientist, Common genetic changed linked to obesity 13 April 2006, viewed 20^th March 2012

< http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn9002-common-genetic-change-linked-to-obesity.html>

3.      NewScientist, Michael Day, Obesity may lie in the genes 28 June 1997, viewed 20^th March 2012,

< http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg15420880.900-obesity-may-lie-in-the-genes.html>

4.      NewScientist, Gaia Vince, Faulty gene linked to obesity and diabetes 18 July 2005, viewed 20^th March 2012

< http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7687>

5.      ScienceDaily, Mice with disable gene that help turn carbs into fat stay lean despite feasting on high-carb diet, 19 March 2009, viewed 20^th March 2012

< http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090319132919.htm>

42722937