EXETER, England, April 12 -- The first clear genetic link to obesity for the common man or woman may have been nailed down by researchers here.
The British team that discovered the obesity-linked gene variant doesn't understand what it does or how it contributes to extra poundage. But the investigators are sure of the association.
In studies involving nearly 40,000 Europeans, the variant of a little-known gene on chromosome 16 increased the risk of being obese by up to 67%, according to Andrew Hattersley, D.M., of the Peninsula Medical School.
The 16% of adults with two copies of the variant weighed on average about three kilograms (6.6 pounds) more than counterparts with no copies, Dr. Hattersley and colleagues reported online today in Science.
"Our findings suggest a possible answer to someone who might ask, 'I eat the same and do as much exercise as my friend next door, so why am I fatter?'" Dr. Hattersley said. "There is clearly a component to obesity that is genetic."
The researchers said in a teleconference that this study is the best evidence yet of a relatively common genetic link to obesity. Other known genetic causes of obesity tend to be rare and affect a small number of people.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Pediatrics/Obesity/tb1/5427
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