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Obesity

Fat chance

Nature volume 457, page 1095 (2009)Cite this article

Obesity is a complex disorder because, as well as environmental factors, many genes seem to be involved. One such gene is FTO, as several studies have indicated that different versions of FTO are strongly correlated with body mass index: individuals carrying the high-risk version weigh roughly 3 kilograms more than those with the low-risk version.

Fischer et al. studied mice lacking Fto (Fto−/− mice) and compared them with normal mice and with those carrying only one copy of the gene (Fto+/− mice). The absence of Fto did not affect embryonic development, but by six weeks after birth, Fto−/− mice weighed on average 30–40% less than normal or Fto+/− mice. This reduction in weight was associated with a marked loss of white fat tissue, with near-complete loss by 15 months.

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  1. Sadaf Shadan
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Shadan, S. Fat chance. Nature 457, 1095 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/4571095a

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