Obesity can begin in the brain, gene study shows
December 15th 2008
A study involving scientists from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute near Cambridge suggests that eating too much and putting on weight may be pre-programmed into the body.
The scientists have identified six new genes which predispose people to become very overweight. Five of the genes are active in the brain. The study was based on a genetic analysis of 90,000 people whose DNA was analysed for the smallest mutations and compared against their body mass index.
Professor Mark McCarthy, a diabetes researcher at Oxford University, said the findings could lead to new treatments for other conditions with a genetic basis. The findings are published in the journal Nature Genetics.
(Independent,p6, Steve Connor, ½ page;Telegraph,p6)
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