Obesity: All in Your Head?
Reported December 23, 2008
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — During the past 20 years, there has been a dramatic increase in obesity among Americans. New research suggests genes that predispose a person to being obese are largely tied to the brain.
An international research team, co-lead by the University of Michigan found six new genes that may help explain body mass index and obesity. Five out of these six newly discovered genes are tied to the brain rather than metabolic functions, meaning some individuals may be literally hardwired to overeat.
The study explained the brain has two main functions related to weight: appetite control and the regulation of total energy balance (burning more calories versus conserving more energy).
Society is often unforgiving and critical of individuals who struggle with obesity. Study authors say this research could be beneficial to shaping more tolerate viewpoints. “It’s different if you know that overeating is about biology, and it takes a major effort to overcome that biology,” Cristen Willer, UM post-doctoral researcher and first author of the study, was quoted as saying.
Three of the six genes were also found in children ages 5 to 10 who were already heavy.
SOURCE: Nature Genetics, published online Dec. 14, 2008