Obesity and Genetics

Written by #10

Obesity in North America is a huge problem making people deal with sickness like heart disease and diabetes. In Canada alone experts say that rates of obesity in teens is 10- 25% and 20- 50% in adults. Most of the blame for this huge problem is put on the environment we live in today. With high fat food readily available whenever you want it in fast food restaurants or the grocery store. But can some of this blame be shifted to our genetics?

Scientists have proven this theory of the effect of genetics on obesity through studies on separately raised twins. This is a good indication as to who has the genes linked to obesity because the genes of twins are virtually the same and the difference in the environments takes environmental impact out of the mix. These studies indicated that genetic factors contributed to 40 percent of obesity in twins. This means that both twins contained the genes that contribute to obesity.

Research was also conducted on genetically engineered mice to identify what exact gene causes obesity. In 1997 researchers identified a gene UCP2 that increases calories burned off. When the malfunctioning it increases the rate of obesity as fewer calories are burned off.

LEP or Leptin, a protein was identified as an obesity gene product. Leptin works with a section of the brain that controls and regulates body functions called the hypothalamus. If a quantity of Leptin is made the hypothalamus reacts by reducing appetite and accelerating the body’s metabolism. This keeps your body slim. If this obesity gene is defective however and the amount of Leptin is less the hypothalamus would keep signaling for more food continually, resulting in obesity.

Other genes PCSK1, LEPR, POMC and MC4R and 200 others have been associated with obesity. In mankind’s history humans survived in times of famine and times of plenty and our genes adapted. Today in Canada with lots of high calorie laden food available these adaptations sometimes fail us.

Although genes are a factor in obesity not all the blame can be put on them. Obesity is jointly caused by the environment we live in with our high fat diets, lack of exercise, poor nutrition as well as defective obesity genes.

References

Wrong Diagnosis, W.D. (2010, March 1 ). Obesity: genetics information. Retrieved from http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/o/obesity/inherit.htm

Thomson, G.T. (2005). Obesity, genetic factors. Retrieved from http://www.bookrags.com/research/obesity-genetic-factors-wog/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, C.D.C. (2009, July 21). Obesity and genomics. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/genomics/resources/diseases/obesity/index.htm

Maknet Corporation., O.C. (2000, June 26). Obesity. Retrieved from http://www.obesitycanada.com/