International research organization discovers new genes that cause obesity

A new study by Japanese and British researchers shows that there is an obesity-related gene in experimental animal cells. If the gene is mutated, it will further increase the risk of obesity in the intake of high-fat foods.

A joint research team composed of institutions such as Kyoto University in Japan and the Imperial College in London in the United Kingdom reported on the British academic journal Nature on the 20th that they discovered that the gene “GPR120” encodes synthetic proteins that can perceive fats that enter the body, thereby suppressing appetite. . If this gene is mutated, the body's ability to burn fat will decrease.

The researchers developed mice in which the above genes did not work. They fed high-fat foods with a fat percentage of 60%. After 16 weeks of feeding, they were compared with normal mice that had the same high-fat diet. The results showed that the former gained 15% in body weight, the total amount of fat including visceral fat increased about 1 times, and fatty liver and symptoms of diabetes appeared. However, normal mice in the control group gained less than 4%.

In addition, if the proportion of fat fed is only about 10% of the food, there is almost no difference in body weight change between the mice in which the "GPR120" gene does not function and the normal mice. The research team believes that this shows that this gene is closely related to obesity caused by food causes.

The team also analyzed the “GPR120” gene in about 6,900 obese people and 7,650 healthy people who regularly eat high-fat foods in European countries such as the UK and France. As a result, it was found that the proportion of “GPR120” gene mutations in obese individuals resulted in a 2.4% reduction in the function of the gene, whereas the ratio of the gene mutation in healthy individuals was approximately 1.3%.

Research group member and professor at Kyoto University noted that "the superimposed effects of high-fat diet habits and reduced gene function in the West will increase the risk of obesity and diabetes, and it is hopeful to rely on the diagnosis of the 'GPR120' gene to prevent and treat the metabolic syndrome. ”