Greediness gene dooms dieting

London, Nov 15 - Your dieting resolve can be doomed if you are carrying a 'greediness' gene, a study shows.

Researchers have shown that a rogue gene linked to obesity makes us fat by boosting appetite.

This deep-seated drive to eat could also explain why so many of us succumb to temptation, no matter how strong our initial resolve to lose weight, according to the journal Nature Genetics.

The breakthrough opens the door for drugs that take the edge off appetite, melting away 'muffin tops' and pruning pot bellies, reports the Daily Mail.

Oxford University and the Medical Research Council researchers studied a gene called FTO, which when discovered in 2007, was the first gene to be linked with obesity.

Up to 14 percent of Britons carry two rogue copies of FTO, increasing their risk of obesity by 70 percent and diabetes by 50 percent. These people are, on average, almost half a stone heavier.

The 49 percent who have inherited just one flawed FTO gene are 30 percent more likely to be obese than those with two normal copies of the gene and 25 percent more likely to develop diabetes.

Scientists found that mice bred to have extra copies of the rogue gene were healthy, but ate more and became heavier than normal rodents.

Researcher Chris Church said: "For the first time, we have provided convincing proof that the FTO gene causes obesity."

Prof Frances Ashcroft, one of the research leaders, said: "Too much activity of this gene canlead to putting on weight by overeating." (IANS)

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Exercise can help fight ‘obesity’ gene

Washington, May 5 : Physically active lifestyle during adolescence can reduce the effect of a mutation in a gene that predisposes someone to becoming overweight or obese, says a study led by Spanish researchers.

Among the genes correlated to obesity, the FTO (or fat mass gene) is one of the genes responsible for the accumulation of fat in humans.

"Each copy of the mutation of this gene is associated with an increase of 3.3 lbs. This means that people who have two copies can weigh 6.6 lbs more than those who have no copies", said Jonatan Ruiz, study’s lead author and researcher at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm (Sweden).

The authors based their research on data collected in the European study HELENA, led by the University of Zaragoza, which analyses the effect of the FTO gene on weight and body fat in adolescents from nine European countries, among them, Spain.

“For young people, one hour of sport per day is enough to reduce the potential risk of this genetic mutation,” Ruiz said.

The study has been published in the journal Archives of Paediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. 

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