A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan has strengthened the link between specific genes and obesity. This research, which is part of the largest genome study in history, has identified roughly 100 genes that are tied to known characteristics of obesity (1).
Through a recent study, researchers have strengthened the link between specific genes and obesity.
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One of the primary authors of the study, Dr. Elizabeth Speliotes, elaborates on these findings, saying that “our work clearly shows that predisposition to obesity and increased body mass index is not due to a single gene or genetic change” (1). Having so many genes involved eliminates the notion that there is a single remedy for obesity, and instead pushes science in the direction of tailored treatment. This research could also lead to understanding the connection between obesity and particular metabolic diseases, like type 2 diabetes (1).
By examining the genetic data of almost 340,000 participants, Speliotes and colleagues were able to identify correlations between specific genes and body mass index (BMI) measurements, a typical indication of obesity. Specifically, the researchers found 97 genomic regions that potentially play a significant role in causing obesity (1). Before this study, scientists had only been able to pinpoint roughly one-third of these regions.
The researchers also found that pathways involving the central nervous system were involved in causing obesity (1). These pathways are how neurons in different parts of the body communicate in order to orchestrate some change, perhaps in feeling or behavior. One of these pathways is already known to influence feeding and fasting behavior. However, most other pathways are still a mystery to investigators. The attention now shifts to understanding these pathways and exactly how they relate to obesity. In other words, identifying the genes involved was only the first step of a long process. Another senior author, Dr. Ruth Loos, expresses this idea, stating, “Finding the genes that increase risk of obesity is only the end of the beginning” (1).
This study’s success was heavily dependent on the large amount of data that could be processed, thanks to the Genetic Investigation of ANthropometric Traits (GIANT) consortium, which collects data from scientists around the world (2). Even the study at the University of Michigan involved eight different centers and departments across campus.
What is becoming increasingly clear is that a problem as complex as obesity requires both researchers with scientific and non-scientific backgrounds from different areas of the world. Loos shares this opinion, noting that the next step will “require input from scientists with a range of expertise, before our new findings can be used towards targeted obesity prevention or treatment strategies” (1).
Sources:
1. University of Michigan Health System (11 Feb 2015). Largest ever genome-wide study strengthens genetic link to obesity. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 15, 2015 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150211131840.htm
2. GIANT: Genetic Investigation of ANthropometric Traits (n.d.). Retrieved February 15, 2015, from https://www.broadinstitute.org/collaboration/giant/index.php/GIANT_consortium