Research published in Friday's edition of Science journal asserts that people who carry two copies of the variation of the FTO gene weigh 7 pounds more than people who do not. Still, this seems to be little more than a correlation, because scientists don't know what FTO is supposed to do.
Researchers from the University of Oxford and the Peninsula Medical Center in Exeter used blood samples from over 38 000 participants: mostly white Europeans, about one in six thought to carry two copies of the gene variant. Those who had one copy of the FTO had a 30 per cent increased risk of obesity, while those who had two copies had almost a 70 per cent increased risk.
Approximately one in three American adults is obese with millions more overweight. Primary causes are not enough exercise and bad eating habits. Even so, innate biology plays some roleand researchers are exploring a variety of genes and hormones that seem involved in the balancing act of weight gain and loss.
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