Scientists
have identified a genetic master-switch that makes some people more
prone to obesity than others, and research out Wednesday suggests it can
be turned off, possibly leading to weight loss.
So far,
researchers have been able to manipulate the genes of mice and human
cells in the lab in order to reverse obesity, but the approach has not
yet been tested in people.
If future studies are successful, the
method could offer a novel way to cure obesity, a major public health
problem that experts say affects some 500 million people around the
world and can lead to cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and
cancer.
"Obesity has traditionally been seen as the result of an
imbalance between the amount of food we eat and how much we exercise,
but this view ignores the contribution of genetics to each individual's
metabolism," said senior author Manolis Kellis, a professor of computer
science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
The
study, co-authored by scientists at MIT and the Harvard University
Medical School, appears in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Researchers
focused on a gene region known as "FTO," which has been probed widely
since it was discovered in 2007 but has remained poorly understood.
Previous
research tried to link the FTO region with brain circuits that control
appetite, but researchers now believe the action takes place in fat
cells and affects how much fat is stored, independently of the brain.
Specifically, the study found that a higher expression of two distant genes, IRX3 and IRX5, meant more fat was stored.
Then, they showed that they could manipulate this new pathway to reverse the signatures of obesity.
Using a DNA editing technology known as CRISPR/Cas9, researchers could switch between lean and obese signatures.
When
researchers inhibited the corresponding gene in the fat cells of mice,
the animals' metabolism soared and they shed weight without eating less
or exercising more.
"The results at the organism level were dramatic," said lead author Melina Claussnitzer, a visiting professor at MIT.
"These
mice were 50 percent thinner than the control mice, and they did not
gain any weight on a high-fat diet. Instead they dissipated more energy,
even in their sleep, suggesting a dramatic shift in their global
metabolism," she added.
"The circuitry underlying the FTO region
functions like a master regulatory switch between energy storage and
energy dissipation."
Researchers said they are currently forming
partnerships with academics and industry to explore therapeutic options
-- and perhaps a cure -- for obesity.
An option on Facebook to say you're "feeling fat" is being removed after pressure from a campaign group.
Endangered
Bodies had criticised the social media network after it offered the
status update along with "I'm feeling optimistic" and "I'm feeling
hopeless".
However, Facebook has changed its mind after an online petition and replaced "fat" with "stuffed".
Facebook confirmed the change in a short statement to Endangered Bodies.
"We've heard from our community that listing 'feeling fat' as an
option for status updates could reinforce negative body image,
particularly for people struggling with eating disorders," a statement
said.
"So we're going to remove 'feeling fat' from the list of options.
"We'll continue to listen to feedback as we think about ways to help people express themselves on Facebook."
More than 16,000 people had signed the online petition.
The woman who set it up, Catherine Weingarten, wrote: "This success
shows us that people together can challenge the cultural messages that
are so damaging to our ability to love ourselves and live comfortably in
our bodies.
"As someone who struggled with body image, I feel so
happy that I've helped eliminate one form of body-shaming hatred on the
internet."
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A major European obesity investigation has called for urgent action to prevent obesity in women of child-bearing age.
The
authors, including a team from Edinburgh University, say children born
to overweight mothers are at greater risk of health problems in later
life.
They say every pregnant woman should have access to
dieticians and psychologists to help protect the health of their future
children.
During the three-year project several pieces of research were consulted.
Long-term consequences
In
one of the most extensive studies to question whether the health of
mothers-to-be can have long-term consequences on their offspring,
scientists pulled together several pieces of research across Europe.
One
key study, involving 13,000 individuals, revealed that babies born to
overweight mothers are more likely to suffer heart disease or strokes or
develop type 2 diabetes in later life.
Another analysis from
Edinburgh University found that obese women eat a diet richer in
saturated fats and poorer in vitamins and minerals during their
pregnancy compared to slim women.
In early work, including
animal studies, scientists found the placenta of females who ate a high
fat diet offered less protection to the foetus from the stress hormone,
cortisol.
Offspring were more likely to be small and to suffer mood disorders in later life.
Overall
project leader Dr Patricia Iozzo, from the National Research Council,
Pisa, Italy, said: "Attention needs to be devoted to the prevention of
obesity and becoming overweight among young girls, representing
tomorrow's mothers."
Dr Iozzo says the period at the end of
pregnancy is particularly important. Her work suggests babies' metabolic
health - including the fats and sugars in their blood - may be worse if
mothers put on unhealthy amounts of weight at this time.
"I feel the message is a positive one. Mothers can do a lot during pregnancy to look after the future health of their children.
"They
must under no circumstances stop eating though. They should ensure they
have a balanced diet and make sure they are physically active.
"And
I think every mother should have access to a team of health workers
during pregnancy - including not just midwives and obstetricians but
psychologists and dietitians too."
Pregnancy planning
Louise
Silverton, director for midwifery at the Royal College of Midwives,
said:"Women should try to be an ideal weight before they become pregnant
and, if not, should follow midwifery advice to manage their weight
while eating a good diet rich in micronutrients.
"After birth, women need support to develop healthy patterns of eating and exercise.
"For
women who are overweight or obese they need support to access
weight-loss services to ensure that they are an ideal weight before they
embark on their next pregnancy.
The ongoing Dorian project is funded by the European Commission.
People who cannot work because they
are obese or have alcohol or drug problems could have their sickness
benefits cut if they refuse treatment, the PM says.
David Cameron
has launched a review of the current system, which he says fails to
encourage people with long-term, treatable issues to get medical help.
Some 100,000 people with such conditions claim Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), the government says.
Labour said the policy would do nothing to help people to get off benefits.
Campaigners said it was "naive" to think overweight people did not want to change their lives.
There is currently no requirement for people with alcohol, drug or weight-related health problems to undertake treatment.
'A life of work'
Mr
Cameron has asked Prof Dame Carol Black, an adviser to the Department
of Health, to look at whether it would be appropriate to withhold
benefits from those who are unwilling to accept help.
Announcing the proposal, he said: "Some [people] have drug or alcohol problems, but refuse treatment.
"In
other cases people have problems with their weight that could be
addressed - but instead a life on benefits rather than work becomes the
choice.
"It is not fair to ask hardworking taxpayers to fund the
benefits of people who refuse to accept the support and treatment that
could help them get back to a life of work."
Analysis
By political correspondent Alex Forsyth
David Cameron sees the wide-ranging welfare reforms introduced in this Parliament as part of a "moral mission".
He has said they give new hope to people who have been written off by helping them back to work.
He also knows taxpayers who fund the welfare state like policies which ensure benefits only go to those who need them.
So
despite criticism of what some see as an increasingly punitive benefits
regime, the Conservatives are floating a new suggestion - possible
sanctions for those claimants who refuse help to overcome treatable
conditions.
On the same day, during a speech in Wales, Labour's leader will pledge to continue his attack on tax avoidance.
So
David Cameron runs the risk of being seen as someone wanting to crack
down on some of society's most vulnerable, while Ed Miliband targets the
wealthiest.
The truth is both party leaders are trying to persuade "hard-working families" that they're on their side. Similar proposals have been considered by the government before.
In
2010 and 2012 the Conservatives considered plans to remove or cut
benefits for drug and alcohol addicts who refused treatment.
At
the time the plans were met with concern by charities, who said there
was no evidence benefit sanctions would help addicts engage with
treatment.
Media captionDisabilities Minister Mark Harper said the aim was to get people to engage with treatment
Dame
Carol welcomed Saturday's announcement, saying: "These people, in
addition to their long-term conditions and lifestyle issues, suffer the
great disadvantage of not being engaged in the world of work, such an
important feature of society."
And Minister for Disabled People Mark Harper told the BBC the right interventions could be "very successful".
Case study
Terry
Hogan, 45, from Ashton-under-Lyne, has been on incapacity benefit -
before it became ESA - since 1992 and is also on a weight-management
course.
He suffers from fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, type-2 diabetes, depression, lymphoedema, cellulitis, and Klinefelter's Syndrome.
He said his illnesses had caused him to become more sedentary, which in turn led to him putting on weight.
"When I was well enough I did voluntary work," he told the BBC.
"In 2012 I became incapacitated to the point where everything I do leaves me tired and in pain.
"I
don't think this review is helpful. If you're overweight on sickness
benefits, forcing someone to lose weight and cutting benefits won't help
the individual. There may be underlying causes to weight gain.
"I
still walk on crutches, am in a lot of pain all of the time, and take a
lot of painkillers. I do want to lose weight but it's not that simple."
Susannah Gilbert, from obesity support group Big Matters, said the policy "wouldn't be feasible".
She
said: "I think it's naive to think that people don't want to change
their life. Many of them have tried every diet under the sun and they
still have a weight problem, so to think they don't want to have help
isn't true."
Not helping
Labour's
shadow minister for disabled people, Kate Green MP, said the
announcement did "nothing to help people off benefits and into work",
adding: "David Cameron's government has stripped back funding for drug
support programmes and their Work Programme has helped just 7% of people
back to work, so it is clear the Tory plan isn't working."
The UK
Independence Party also said it was "another example of the way that
this government bullies those it has decided are beyond the pale".
Deputy
chairman Suzanne Evans said: "The government obviously doesn't care
about those with weight or addiction problems, it is just ideologically
driven by its contempt for those on benefits and its need to get the
benefits bill down at all costs."
ESA was introduced in 2008 to replace incapacity benefit and income support, paid because of an illness or disability.
It
requires claimants to undertake a work capability assessment to see how
much their illness or disability affects their ability to work.
Once a claim is accepted, those receiving ESA get up to £108.15 a week.
Some 60% of the 2.5 million people claiming ESA have been doing so for more than five years, government figures show.
