Scientists Find Genetic 'switch' For Obesity

[Mr Lee]

Maybe there is hope for me yet. It sure would be nice to be able to eat what we want and still stay fairly slim. I have been fighting my whole life to keep my weight down, and I am sure many of you know what it is to have to try, so the older I get, the harder it gets, so this may be coming at a perfect time in my life and that of a lot of baby boomer's lives. I just hope they find a way to control it before it is too late for me and others. Scientists have found that a gene linked to diabetes and cholesterol is a "master switch" that controls other genes found in fat in the body, and say it should help in the search for treatments for obesity-related diseases.In a study published in the journal Nature Genetics, the British researchers said that since fat plays an important role in peoples' susceptibility to metabolic diseases like obesity, heart disease and diabetes, the regulating gene could be target for drugs to treat such illnesses."This is the first major study that shows how small changes in one master regulator gene can cause a cascade of other metabolic effects in other genes," said Tim Spector of King's College London, who led the study.More than half a billion people, or one in 10 adults worldwide, are obese and the numbers have doubled since the 1980s as the obesity epidemic has spilled over from wealthy into poorer nations.In the United States, obesity-related diseases already account for nearly 10 percent of medical spending -- an estimated $147 billion a year.Type 2 diabetes, which is often linked to poor diet and lack of exercise, is also reaching epidemic levels worldwide as rates of obesity rise.The complete story HERE