New Obesity Gene Discovered!

September 22, 2000

WOW! Read this article. It makes a lot of sense to me!!!

Scientists are hoping they have found a new approach to treating obesity

after discovering a gene responsible for controlling appetite in humans.

Researchers at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, used sand rats

from the Israeli desert to conduct diabetes tests in the laboratory. On

their native cactus diet in the desert, the rats remained lean and healthy.

But when brought to the Melbourne laboratory, some of the rats overate, got

fat, and eventually developed diabetes, while others consumed reasonable

amounts and remained lean.

This disparity in behaviors made researchers question why some rats would

overeat and others wouldn't. So they removed the rats' brains to look for

genetic differences. In the obese rats, scientists found a gene they called

the Beacon gene forming too much of an appetite-stimulating protein. In

essence, the gene in the obese rats was overactive, but behaved normally in

lean rats.

This gene is also found in humans so scientists took the protein from the

human Beacon gene and injected it into the brains of lean rats. Within one

week they gained 5 percent of their regular body weight.

Other studies have also found evidence suggesting obesity may be rooted in

genetics. Obesity is a growing public health threat, particularly in

industrialized nations and especially in the United States, where more than

half of the adult population is overweight or obese. Being overweight is not

only a major risk factor for diabetes, but it can also raise the risk of

heart disease , some types of cancer ,and other chronic health problems.

This research was presented this week at the European Society for the Study

of Diabetes meeting in Jerusalem.

--By Katrina Woznicki

_____________________________________________

Amy S. Poe

MGB 5/22/2000 *I made it!*

280/218/140

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