New DNA Variants Found That Can Help To Pile On The Pounds
Sunday, May 4, 2008 - 20:14
in Biology & Nature
A study of 90,000 people has uncovered new genetic variants close to a gene called MC4R that influence fat mass, weight and risk of obesity. The variants act in addition to the recently described variants of the FTO gene: adults carrying variants in both genes are, on average, 3.8 kg heavier. The study highlights the power of large collections of volunteer samples to uncover common variants that influence health.