Some people 'hardwired' to prefer high-calorie foods, study finds

When trying to stay healthy, some have troubles saying no to a chocolate bar and getting a salad instead. More than a third of adults in the US, approximately 78.6 million people, are obese, which means that they are at increased risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and some forms of cancer. New studies have shown that this may be caused because the brain is "hardwired" to crave foods high in fat and sugar. Study leader Dr. Tony Goldstone has identified that two genetic variants that influence whether we opt for high-calorie or low-calorie foods. A team of scientists conducted a study of DNA genotyping on 45 European adults to identify the presence of variants near the two genes, FTO gene and the DRD2 gene. The FTO gene is associated with obesity predisposition and the DRD2 gene plays a role in the regulation of dopamine in the brain. After the study was conducted, researchers found that participants who had a variant near the FTO gene and rated the high-calorie foods were more appealing and demonstrated greater activity in the part of the brain called the orbitofrontal cortex.

Based on their findings, the researchers suggest that individuals who possess the FTO gene may be at greater risk for obesity early because dopamine signals trigger a sense of craving and reward in the presence of unhealthy foods. There was one possible treatment that was suggested to work would involve hormones that target dopamine cells in the brain to alter the hormone's influence on cravings for high-calorie foods. I believe that the people that possess the FTO gene may have a higher risk of obesity because of the dopamine signals that are triggering craving senses, but this may not be valid for everyone because everyone's body has different ways of working. A good way to avoid these cravings and not using a hormones as a treatment would be self control and not having high-calorie foods in your household or going into stores and restaurants that have these foods to avoid temptation.

Link to article:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/301852.php

Link to alternative article:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/11/151105103957.htm

Obesity Gene

Scientist have finally figured out that there is a gene that is related to obesity. Experiments revealed that faulty versions of FTO cause energy from food to be stored as fat rather than burned. Genetic experiments on mice have showed that drugs might be developed to reverse this effect. This gene glitch is found in about 44% European and 5% black so it can’t be blamed for all obesity cases so exercise and diet may still be necessary . If you have the faulty gene it doesn’t mean you’re going to be obese but it does predispose you to it. 

"It's a potential target" for drug development, said Dr. Sam Klein, an obesity researcher at Washington University in St. Louis. He called the work "an amazing study" and "a scientific tour de force."

The FTO gene influences the master switch that control thermogenesis or burning off energy. It’s been know that brown or beige fatter tissue which is known as the good fat burns off calories. The white fat stores them. The gene is there to determine if the calories become white or brown. One experiment researchers blocked the faulty gene in mice and found that the mice became fifty percent leaner than other mice despite both eating a high-fat diet. 

I like this article because it shows that some people even know they diet and exercise and still can't lose weight and it could be because of this FTO gene. It also shows us that we can't look at a person and just assume that they watch TV all day and eat Oreo's. Some people have thyroid problems or now they might have a faulty gene. I hope in the future that there will be a drug that can alter this faulty gene. 

original article can be found here 

Obesity genes does not guarantee obesity

Ruth Loos, program leader in the MRC Epidemiology Unit at the Institute of Metabolic Science in the UK performed a recent study on an obesity gene entitled "FTO." The study was a re-analysis of over 218,000 people who participated in many previous studies. It was found that people who inherited this FTO gene were 30% more likely to be obese than those who did not inherit it (70% more likely if they inherited copies from both parents). The study also found that of those people who inherited the FTO gene, the ones that participated in exercise routines could cut their risk of obesity down to 22% (49% for those with two copies of the gene). Ultimately, I feel this study kind of reinforces an idea that many overweight/obese people know, they have the ability to lose weight and lean out through their environment (i.e. exercise, diet) but only by fighting the antagonistic forces of their genetics. This one step forward, two steps back idea really shows why obesity is such an epidemic in the united states today. Many people are predisposed to being obese and can only reduce that chance by exercising, not eliminate it completely.

http://healthland.time.com/2011/11/02/gym-vs-genes-how-exercise-trumps-obesity-genes/ (article link)

http://www.jessicashealthblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/exercise-busy-schedule.bmp (image link)