Missing Genes Linked to Obesity
February 4th, 2010 by Penny Hagerman
For years now, we’ve all heard the “nature vs nuture” argument as it relates to obesity, and wonder whether environment or genetics plays a larger role where weight is concerned.
Some say it’s all about environment—and we should be teaching our kids healthy eating habits from the time they’re young to prevent lifetime weight gain. Proponents of the nurture theory often place the blame on the shoulders of the overweight, saying they’re fat because they’re lazy, eat too much or lead a sedentary lifestyle.
Others point to genetics, claiming that, no matter what they eat or how much they exercise, they’re destined to be fat, just like their parents or other family members. No matter how hard they try, they just can’t get the extra weight off, and often put themselves at further health risk by resorting to desperate measures in order to lose the additional weight.
Either way, obesity can lead to many health problems that are difficult to overcome and can make getting and staying insured difficult.
In fact, those who are overweight usually pay at least 15 percent more for health insurance than individuals of normal weight—if they can get insured at all.
But a new report published today in the journal Nature now indicates that genetics may play a larger role in obesity than any of us previously realized.
In a recent European study, scientists found a rare genetic abnormality that is linked to both severe obesity and learning disabilities: the absence of 30 genes that reportedly virtually guarantee that a person will become obese.
What are the missing genes doing to cause obesity? No one is really sure, but experts speculate their absence may cause the production of an enzyme or protein that keeps the overweight from being able to burn energy efficiently.
With the genes necessary for regulating the body’s calorie consumption and energy burning process absent, obesity appears to result 100 percent of the time.
Though balancing caloric intake with expended energy is often the key to maintaining a healthy weight, the bodies of the obese don’t always function normally. Instead, they often “extract calories from food more effectively and may not be burning energy as efficiently as others,” says Dr. Stuart Weiss, an assistant clinical professor at NYU Langone Medical Center, in today’s Yahoo news article on the subject.
Maybe in the future, we’ll all undergo genetic tests to see if we’re missing any genes and, if so, what can be done to counteract the effects of their absence. Who knows, maybe scientists will find a cure for obesity—or figure out a way to overcome the effect of genetics on our bodies.
Meanwhile, it looks like science is proving that nature plays a much bigger role than previously thought.
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February 5th, 2010 at 10:05 am
Thanks for an interesting article. I’m convinced there are many reasons why weight differs among humans.
My daughter has an MCAT deficiency - which is an midlength enzyme (I think) which would help her break down muscle into energy when she doesn’t have enough caloric intake. If she doesn’t eat enough, she will build up ketones in her body which can eventually be lethal.
So it seems like she will never be able to lose weight without being sick. Fortunately, her weight is normal now, but I wonder what will happen when she does need to lose weight. (post pregnancy or something like that)
February 5th, 2010 at 10:29 am
Isn’t it strange how our bodies function differently? In my opinion, that further proves the large role heredity plays. Some people can’t lose weight, others can’t gain it. So much seems to be out of our control.
I wonder if, someday, doctors will be able to find out what enzymes we’re missing and give us equivalent, man-made substitutions created in a lab? It could help us overcome a lot of conditions like your daughter’s–and maybe help us all maintain a healthy weight…which could also help eradicate heart disease, hypertension and diabetes in the process.
I think we have a long way to go scientifically. Meanwhile, we all need to be more accepting of each other, large or small!
February 18th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Great article! The “nature vs. nurture” argument is a compelling one. Personally I believe in a little bit of both. Its easy to blame your genes or your upbringing for weight gain or loss. The real responsibility comes in being to control ourselves. Maybe in the future it won’t make much of a difference, because we’ll all just pop a pill to gain or shed a few pounds.
February 26th, 2010 at 11:11 am
Hey Shane, thanks for commenting! I agree, it’s all a balancing act. And it’s really intriguing when scientists discover things like this that no one knew before. I suspect, if we keep searching for answers and learning, you’re right: there’s no telling what we’ll be able to do in the future to keep our weight in check. Thanks for reading.