Genetic Factors in Metabolism

In a study conducted by UT Southwestern Medical Center, a gene's role in metabolism has been pinpointed, at least in mice. MED13, a component of a  major genetic pathway in the heart, has been linked to obesity and diabetes that result from blood sugar changes in the body. Mice supplied with diets high in fat with higher levels of MED13 showed greater metabolism rates and therefore a much lower frequency of obesity and cardiovascular problems. It has also been found that a "heart specific micro RNA" called miRNA-208a, is linked to the presence of MED13. The micro RNA inhibits the activity of MED13. Mice with higher levels of miRNA-208a had slower metabolisms and showed higher rates of obesity.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="400" caption="Statistics of the Number of Overweight Americans in the United States"][/caption]

This study is significant because among humans, obesity, diabetes, and heart problems that result from these conditions are major causes of death and illness. Individuals are perhaps predisposed to obesity, and this study can open doors to new medications that could increase the activity of MED13, and give many Americans a higher quality of life. On the contrary, maybe it would be better for Americans with certain predispositions to just eat diets that aren't so high in fat. With the amount of processed food and fat in our meat products in this country, we can clearly see what individuals have higher metabolisms that others. A solution could be to feed our cattle grass, instead of corn which they store as fat because they are not designed to digest it.  This is an instance where scientific progress may point to individuals taking better care of themselves, instead of just creating another drug or therapy.