Guest guest Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Lose Genes, Gain Weight Obesity is a disease of excess, but a new study suggests that a few obese patients are actually lacking something--a piece of one of their chromosomes. The loss might remove a gene that helps the body manage blood sugar and appetite. Obesity runs in families, and researchers have identified several genetic variants that seem to boost the odds of becoming obese. However, these variants only explain a minority of cases. In the last decade, researchers have discovered that genetic differences among people can stem from lost or duplicated sections of chromosomes, called copy number variants (CNVs). Because of CNVs, for example, you and your neighbor might carry different numbers of copies of particular genes. Previous studies have implicated CNVs in disorders such as autism that slow mental development or cause learning disabilities. Autistic patients sometimes have an extra segment on chromosome 15 or are missing a section of chromosome 16. Such patients are often heavy as well, suggesting a connection between CNVs and weight. http://snipr.com/tm023 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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