JOIN USA new study by Oxford University and Medical Research Council in Britain has revealed that the rogue gene, FTO, linked to obesity makes people fat by boosting appetite, a finding which could pave the way for drugs that take the edge off appetite.
In fact, this deep-seated drive to eat could also explain why so many slimmers succumb to temptation, no matter how strong their initial resolve to lose weight. For the study, the researchers studied the FTO gene, which, when discovered in 2007, was the first widespread genetic flaw to be linked to obesity. Mice bred to have extra copies of the rogue gene were healthy but ate more and became heavier than normal rodents, the findings revealed.
“For the first time we have provided convincing proof that the FTO gene causes obesity. Once we know how FTO causes obesity we have the potential to look at developing drugs to treat it,” lead researcher Chris Church said.