Gene May Turn Fat Storage On and Off

Scientists may have finally learned how a gene that was discovered in fruit flies more than 50 years ago acts to tell the body to store or burn fat.

A story in The Guardian alerted us to the new findings, which add to the body of evidence that the cause of obesity is genetic, and this discovery could lead to new treatments for obesity and diabetes.

Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center -- led by developmental biologist Jonathan M. Graff, M.D., Ph.D. -- have discovered that the adipose gene may work as a master on-off switch that controls fat formation.

Their findings, based upon a study of mice and published in the journal Cell Metabolism, indicated that when eating the same amount of food, animals with active adipose genes were leaner, while those with less active genes became fatter.

While fat storage helped our ancestors survive famine, Dr. Graff told The Guardian that the gene had backfired since food is readily available in the west.

Karen James for the SUGAR SHOCK! Blog