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Why some eat way too much can be put down to genes
Paris, Nov 03: An abnormal gene that stimulates hunger is a cause of overeating and obesity among many people worldwide, researchers say in a study, opening new perspectives on preventing and treating the growing problem.
Paris, Nov 03: An abnormal gene that stimulates
hunger is a cause of overeating and obesity among many people
worldwide, researchers say in a study, opening new
perspectives on preventing and treating the growing problem.
A team of Franco-British scientists carried out the
research on about 1200 French people, roughly half seriously
overweight and half not.
The study shows that a gene identified as Gad2 Acts by speeding up the production of a neurotransmitter in the brain. When that transmitter, known as gaba, interacts with another molecule in the hypothalamus in the brain, people feel a craving for food. The researchers said some have a more active form of the gene, in turn building up more gaba in the brain. This suggested the "overaccumulation of gaba drives the stimulus to eat further than normal, and is thus a basis for explaining why obese people overeat."
"Genetic factors alone can not explain the rapid rise in obesity rates in the world, but they may provide clues to preventative and therapeutic approaches that will ease the health burden associated with obesity," said Philippe Froguel from Imperial College and Hammersmith hospital of London.
"Having identified this gene, it may be possible (in the next some years ) develop a screening programme to identify those who may be at risk of becoming obese later in life, and take effective preventative measures," the senior author of the study, carried out at the Pasteur Institute in Lille, Northern France, said.
Bureau Report
The study shows that a gene identified as Gad2 Acts by speeding up the production of a neurotransmitter in the brain. When that transmitter, known as gaba, interacts with another molecule in the hypothalamus in the brain, people feel a craving for food. The researchers said some have a more active form of the gene, in turn building up more gaba in the brain. This suggested the "overaccumulation of gaba drives the stimulus to eat further than normal, and is thus a basis for explaining why obese people overeat."
"Genetic factors alone can not explain the rapid rise in obesity rates in the world, but they may provide clues to preventative and therapeutic approaches that will ease the health burden associated with obesity," said Philippe Froguel from Imperial College and Hammersmith hospital of London.
"Having identified this gene, it may be possible (in the next some years ) develop a screening programme to identify those who may be at risk of becoming obese later in life, and take effective preventative measures," the senior author of the study, carried out at the Pasteur Institute in Lille, Northern France, said.
Bureau Report