Scientists Discover Obesity Related Genetic Variant
In the latest issue of Science, scientists said that they have discovered an obesity related genetic quirk, and they are in the process of identifying more genetic variants of similar nature.
Michael F. Christman, chairman of genetics and genomics at Boston University Medical School, and a member of the team said, the finding would be an effective lead to designing anit-obesity drugs of the best quality in the near future, though the immediate practical applications are rather void.
According to the finding, genes determine about half the entire risks of obesity, and only eight ot ten genes play a role in half of the determined risks. The chairman of the study said, 5 % of obesity is related to the newly identified gene that sits on chromosome 2. This genetic variant is physically close to INSIG2, a designated gene, which is involved in fat metabolism. It is present in 10 % of the people and would be capable of influencing the working of INSIG2 gene that produces a fat and cholesterol inhibiting protein, he added.
The study was carried out in close association of European and American scientists. The statistical methods used in the analysis was developed by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, while the studies in other populations were done by researchers in Germany and at the Loyola University in Chicago.
Source: medicineplus.com, April 18, 2006 |
