Sunday, November 12, 2017

A cure for obesity?

Image result for MC4R Gene
Obesity has become a huge problem in today’s world with fast food taking over due to its cheap prices and healthier options being on the pricier side. The article I chose proposes the statement that the answer to obesity may be in your genes. Riodolfino is a 60-year-old woman, that has tried everything to lose weight; weight watchers, Atkins diet, and exercising, just to lose the weight and then gain it back. Once she reached a weight she couldn’t stand her insurance offered her a program that would use her genetic coding to determine a weight loss plan that would actually work for her. This genetic testing showed a gene called MC4R which is an “appetite” gene that should trigger signals in the brain that it’s time to stop eating. Riodolfino realized her brain didn’t have this trigger, which caused her to keep eating and in the end gaining weight. Due to this genetic study, she was able to figure out the reason she wasn’t losing weight, which showed her to listen to her stomach and not her brain!
These tests look for mutations inside of the genes, which are linked to the body mass index, fat metabolism, and addictive behaviors. These tests not only screen for MC4R, it also screens for the gene FTO, which transitions fat into energy rather than storing it. It also screens for DRD2, a gene that is believed to be associated with addictive behaviors – overeating.

All in all, this isn’t a 100% way to end obesity because some scientist argue that this link isn’t strong enough but, this is a start! Although, anyone can lose weight, having the genetic information at least explains why something isn’t working. This genetic testing can give people a sense of empowerment by simply knowing what they are doing isn’t wrong, it’s just not the right exercise or dieting for them. I think this article is great because people struggle with obesity every day and people have the misconception that they simply aren’t trying hard enough so they won’t see the results, when in reality they are but it’s not the right “try” for them.
#obesitycanbefixed #genetictesting #MC4R #research
https://health.usnews.com/health-care/patient-advice/articles/2017-09-19/obesity-an-answer-in-your-genes
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19803416

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