Researchers from the University of Chicago have said that they have found a gene that is associated to obesity. They have said that they think that the gene IRX3 controls body mass and regulates body composition. Although the research showed an association between the gene and obesity, it did not prove a cause-and-effect link. The IRX3 gene was first found though the analysis if 150 samples of DNA from people of European descent. To verify the role of IRX3 in obesity, the researchers created mice without the gene and found that they weighed about 30 percent less than normal mice. Most of the weight difference were due to the lack of body fat of these altered mice. These new rats were completely resistant to high-fat diet-induced obesity. The only problem with this research is that animal studies cannot often be replicated in humans. Previous studies have said that mutations of the gene FTO has a significant role in determining the risk of obesity in people. But this new study shows that this obesity mutation in FTO interacts with the IRX3 gene and alone the FTO mutation has only a minor effect on obesity risk.It is interesting that certain genes increases the risk in obesity in people. But the final deciding factor whether someone will be obese or not is that person. It is up to the individual to determine whether they will either exercise and eat healthy, or be lazy and eat McDonald's every day.
It's an interesting debate that I think this research will create. I agree, I think someone's body weight is ultimately up to them and whether or not they choose to live a healthy lifestyle. However, I think publicity of the IRX3 gene will add a new spin to the arguments that claim "oh, there's nothing I can do about it because it's just in my genes." I wonder if they'll expand the data collection to see if the IRX gene is found in other ethnicities besides European. Part of me is sure that it's broad across all humans, but it would be interesting to see if there are ethnicities where the gene has a higher/lower presence.
ReplyDeleteI must admit, it is difficult not to eat McDonald's everyday. Those delicious McNuggets and sweet Sweet Tea... They may be made out of things that don't qualify as food but who cares. I wish people would be willing to test the experiment on humans and not just mice, but I can see the problem with that. Knowing about this gene would be helpful for parents who actually worry about their child being obese though, prevention earlier on would be great and helpful for those children down the road.
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