Scientists have figured out in depth about the primary gene linked with obesity and responsible for making people fat. It may be a gateway to adopting a fresh approach to this problem besides exercise and diet control. It has also solved a mystery for researchers who knew of only FTO gene linked to obesity. However, they weren’t aware of the ways and failed to tie it up with appetite or some other factors.
According to experiment outcome, FTO’s faulty version causes the energy out of food to be stored as fats. Genetic tinkering with human cells and mice in the laboratory revealed it can be revered. Thus, it shows hope of the development of an alternative treatment or drug to have similar impact on people. Scientists of Harvard University and MIT are leading the research study and it was also published online. According to study author Melina, this new discovery explores the notion that reason for obesity is too much of food consumption and no exercise. The genetics specialist believes that genetics has discovered at first, an obesity mechanism which wasn’t revealed before.
The new discovery was appreciated by independent experts. Scientist Rosen from Medical Research Institute believes that it’s quite a big deal. According to this medical journal associated editor, it revealed how fat cells have a role in the way food is used. This discovery opens the door for manufacturing drugs which may impact the cells to work differently.
The market is full of drugs responsible for limited period weight loss. Majority of these drugs target our appetite and brain but not the metabolism. Researchers cannot predict the total time it may take to come up with a drug depending upon new findings. However, there is surety about the pill not having any magical effect on the consumer. It won’t be like you’ll eat anything you want with zero weight gain. The supposed treatment requires large scale testing to ensure safety and effectiveness.
This gene glitch is far from explaining everything about weight gain problems. It was discovered in only 44% Europeans out of which 5% were black. It proves that other genes are surely working and diet control and exercises still do their work. Having this glitch hardly destines a person to turn obese but may throw light on the possibilities and tendencies. Individuals with dual version of such genes weighed about 7 pounds extra compared to people lacking them on an average.
FTO gene is known to impact obesity problems indirectly as a switch which also affects two more genes responsible for controlling fat burn. As per an experiment, researchers prevented the gene’s impact in mice which in return made them almost 50% thinner. It was blocked entry into human cells which heightened energy burning of fat cells. This is a probable target for further drug development believes obesity researcher Dr Klein from Washington University. According to experts of Columbia University, research outcomes reveal that FTO gene can also have an impact on other facets of obesity.
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