Gaining Weight is Genetic, New Health Study Reveals

Gaining weight can be cause by several factors, including a poor diet, lack of exercise or a faulty thyroid.
A new study reveals that gaining weight can also be genetic.

According to the new finding published in the journal Nature, the genome has more than 100 locations that are responsible for a multitude of obesity traits.

Researchers believe that these genetic tendencies could one day help them develop efficient weight loss treatments for many people who suffer from obesity.

One of the lead authors of the study, Elizabeth Speliotes from the University of Michigan Health System, said that the recent findings show that the predisposition to obesity and an increased body mass index is not cause by a single gene or just a genetic modification.

She explains that because of the large number of genes, it’s unlikely that a single solution could treat obesity for everyone, but this could open new doors to finding ways in which to use the genetic clues for defeating obesity.
The study involved measuring the body mass index of more than 340,000 patients. They compared the data with their genetic makeup and found 97 sites that are usually associated with obesity and gaining weight.

According to the study, this is almost three times more than experts estimated previously.
Obesity can lead to various types of metabolic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes and a high level cholesterol.
Also, the fat that builds up around the abdomen, also known as the beer belly, is known to increase the risk of various cardiovascular diseases.

Karen Mohlke, one of the researchers involved in the study which showed that gaining weight is genetic, said that they are trying to figure out which genes are responsible for deciding where fat is deposited on the human body. If the researcher can figure it out, they could comprehend the biology that leads to several health conditions like insulin resistance, heart disease and metabolic syndrome.

According to the scientists, they still have a long way to go before fully understanding the link between obesity and human genome. Further research will hopefully reveal how the genes play an important part in various illnesses.
Image Source: zeenews

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Alan O’Leary

Alan is a happily-married, New York-based writer with over 5 years of experience in journalism. He mainly focuses on subjects such as international politics, arts culture, social media and national news.