Monday, December 7, 2015

Genetics and Obesity:




Obesity has been a very common point for the United States for decades. The United States obesity rate is far too high, and a large amount of that is contributed to genetics. There are several diseases regarding obesity, a few examples are Prader–Willi syndrome, Albright hereditary osteodystrophy,  and ulnar-mammary syndrome, all three are autosomal dominant disorders. There are many loci in which each disorder is present.While there is widespread acceptance that hereditary factors might predispose to human obesity, it is frequently assumed that such factors would influence metabolic rate or the selective partitioning of excess calories into fat. However, it is notable that, thus far, all monogenic defects causing human obesity actually disrupt hypothalamic pathways and have a profound effect on satiety and food intake. Along with the genetic  predisposition to obesity, many individuals also have environmental predispose to obesity, which only compounds the patients problem making them eat more and more. 

1 comment:

  1. It is interesting to see how obesity is being studied so intensely now that a good amount of our population is obese. Hopefully some of the genetic basis for obesity can be determined to help people get on a path to live a healthy life.

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