LONDON (EFE).— An international team of researchers has discovered that a genetic variant related to blood type can predispose certain individuals to being overweight or obese, according to a study published yesterday.
This work, led by experts from the University of Exeter (United Kingdom), confirms that people who have a genetic variant that deactivates the SMIM1 gene have greater body weight because they expend less energy at rest.
SMIM1, the experts explain in a statement, was first detected a decade ago, as part of research into the gene that encodes the Vel blood group.
One in every 5,000 individuals with this rare blood type lacks both copies of the gene, making them Vel-negative, they say.
The findings of the new research suggest that this group of Vel-negatives is more likely to be overweight and that the absence of both copies of SMIM1 is linked to other indicators of obesity.
These individuals, the authors note, may have high levels of fat in the blood, signs of fatty tissue dysfunction, elevated liver enzymes and lower levels of thyroid hormones.
“Our findings highlight the need to investigate the genetic cause of obesity in order to select the most appropriate and effective treatment, but also to reduce the social stigma associated with it,” said lead author Mattia Frontini, from the University of Exeter.
Al triple
The expert recalls that the obesity rate has almost tripled over the last 50 years and it is estimated that by 2030 more than one billion people will suffer from this chronic disease, which will have an economic impact on health systems.
“In a small minority of people, obesity is caused by genetic variants. When this is the case, new treatments can sometimes be found that benefit these people,” Frontini observes.
For this research, the authors analyzed the genomes of 500,000 individuals registered in the Biobank UK database, identifying 104 people with the genetic variant that causes the loss of functionality of SMIM1.
They concluded that the presence of this genetic variant has a direct impact on the weight of individuals, which in men can be equivalent to an average of 2.4 additional kilograms and 4.6 kilograms in women.
“The SMIM1 gene was discovered only a decade ago, after a long search for it as a blood group protein in red blood cells, but its other function has not been known until now. It is very important to discover that it has a more general role in human metabolism,” concludes Jill Storry, co-author of the study from Lund University (Sweden).
#Gene #overweight
2024-08-08 00:29:57
