Newly-Discovered Genetic Mutations Increase Risk Of Childhood Obesity, Says Study
Three new genetic variations that increase the risk of obesity are revealed in a new study, published today in the journal Nature Genetics. The authors suggest that if each acted independently, these variants could be responsible for up to 50% of cases of severe obesity.
Together with existing research, the new findings should ultimately provide the tools to predict which young children are at risk of becoming obese. Health professionals could then intervene to help such children before they develop weight problems, say the researchers from Imperial College London, the French National Research Institute CNRS and other international institutions.
In the UK, one in ten children under the age of six is obese, according to the Department of Health’s National Child Measurement Programme 2007/08.
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