What is obesity? Do genes play a part in obesity? Click this article to learn more.
Introduction
Obesity known as being overweight is defined as excessive fat that may risk your health. It is mostly known as a medical problem that may cause problems such as heart disease, diabetes and other cancer. Usually, obesity is caused by diet, lack of exercise, environmental factors, and genetics.
However, recent studies suggest that genetics contribute to 40-70% of obesity with the discovery of more than 50 genes that are strongly associated with obesity.
Do Genes have a role in obesity?
In the 21st century whether they are poor or rich; educated or uneducated; Westernized or non-Westernized societies obesity is one of the major problems affecting people. Many environmental factors like lack of physical exercise and consumption of lots of food are the real cause of obesity. However, not all people living in similar environments will become obese, nor will all obese people suffer the same health problems. Why does this happen?
Studies have shown that a sizable portion of the variation in weight among adults is due to genetic factors. A study finds resemblances and differences among family members, twins, and adoptees that offer indirect scientific evidence supporting the point above.
Genes that increase the chances of people being obese
The most commonly implicated gene is MC4R.
Changes in MC4R that diminish its function are found in a small fraction (<5%) of obese people in various ethnic groups. Affected children feel extremely hungry and become obese because of consistent overeating (hyperphagia).
Moreover, studies have reported that mutations in the genes encoding leptin, LEPR and MC4R (stated above) explain 30% of cases of severe obesity in children from Pakistan, and single-gene defects more broadly account for nearly 50%.
Figure 1: Timeline of key discoveries in obesity genetics.
Citations
👏👏👏