Obesity - Is it in our genes?

[James Marusek 5,244]

According to researcher Vann Bennett, there might be genetic underpinnings to obesity. A deficiency in the ANK2 gene, which codes for chemical activity on cell membranes, has been shown to cause obesity in mice. Is there an analogous situation in humans, after all, some of us share the same ANK2 deficiency with our rodent friends?

Consider the definition of metabolic syndrome (MS), which is not a disease, but a cluster of symptoms or findings. Metabolic syndrome is important to physicians because it is a risk factor associated with cardiovascular disease. Humans with metabolic syndrome have increased waist circumference, an elevated blood sugar (due to insulin resistance), elevated triglycerides coupled with a low high-density lipid (HDL), commonly referred to as the good cholesterol, and hypertension. And many, but not all patients diagnosed with metabolic syndrome have increased inflammatory markers.

36 million people in the US are estimated to have metabolic syndrome, but only 6.5 million have these ANK2 variants. So only a portion of metabolic syndrome can be attributed to ANK2 deficiencies.

https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/11/19/no-newsweek-obesity-isnt-caused-single-gene-12155