Genes may Prevent Diseases in Obese People

A new study finding shows that lucky genes can help protect people with obesity from some diseases.

The reason behind why some people with obesity remain relatively healthy, whilst others suffer from ailments such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease is revealed by geneticists.

Anyone with a BMI over 30 is considered obese rather than just overweight and although people with obesity all have a few extra kilos in common, two people with the same BMI can have very different amounts of fat, and that fat can be distributed in different places throughout the body.

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‘To prevent diseases related to obesity, it is important to understand that obesity can cause metabolic, mechanical, or psychological consequences.’

Fat stored under the skin, like a paunch or a double chin, is considered less harmful than fat stored around organs such as the liver and heart, and it is the genes that determine how and where this fat is stored, which is referred to as having ‘favorable’ or ‘unfavorable’ adiposity.

“Some people have unlucky fat genes, meaning they store higher levels of fat everywhere, including under the skin, liver, and pancreas. That’s associated with a higher risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes,” said Dr. Hanieh Yaghootkar, a lecturer in biosciences at Brunel University London, who led the research.

Using a technique known as Mendelian randomization, researchers found that of the 37 diseases they tested, 12 – including coronary artery disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes – were directly related to the genes that determine whether or not a person has favorable adiposity.

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While nine could be said to be unrelated to someone’s adiposity and were most likely a result of simply carrying too much weight, such as having deep vein thrombosis or arthritic knees.

However, researchers caution that regardless of whether someone has favorable or unfavorable adiposity, being obese is a serious hazard to a person’s health, with even those with favorable adiposity still at a heightened risk of diseases such as gallstones, adult-onset asthma, and psoriasis.

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Body mass index (BMI) is a simple tool that is generally used to estimate the total amount of body fat.

They also found some other diseases previously thought to be related to someone’s weight, such as Alzheimer’s, appear to be unconnected.

These results also provide evidence that everyone will benefit from losing their extra fat even if they are metabolically healthy. The findings are published in the journal eLife.

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This study will help medical doctors determine if they should be targeting the adverse effects of someone’s obesity, or be trying to get them to shed a few pounds.

In contrast, for other conditions, it may be more important to reduce the extra weight as much as, or more than, the damaging high sugar and fat levels in the blood.

Source-Medindia