The obesity gene makes obese people happier
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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Scientists from McMaster University have found scientific evidence of why full people are often good-natured and happier than their thin brethren. As it turned out, this is not just a stereotype, but a genetically conditioned fact.
Canadian scientists have found another gene for obesity, but this one stands out because its presence reduces the risk of depression. In addition to the newly discovered gene, there is also a gene of happiness. However, the new discovery casts doubt on the widespread view that obese people fall into depression because of their completeness.
The results of the work of Canadian scientists are set out in the pages of the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
The FTO gene is known to scientists as one of the causes of predisposition to obesity. However, it should be noted that this gene is in all people, it is specifically about one of its forms, which the geneticists refer to as "FTO rs9939609 A".
People susceptible to depression can change their habitual diet and lead a more active lifestyle, which will help to avoid depressive conditions leading to overweight.
A team of scientists led by Dr. David Mare decided to go the other way, based on the assumption that obesity and depression are related to the activity of the brain. They hypothesized that the genes of obesity can be closely related to depression.
The participants of the study were 17 200 people from 21 countries, whose DNA samples were analyzed by specialists. Studies of the mental and genetic state of the subjects were also conducted. As a result, the presence of FTO rs9939609 A reduces the risk of depression by 8%. However, despite this, the presence of this genetic predisposition increases the likelihood of deposition of excess fat by 30%.
Experts' conclusions are based on the study of this gene in people of different nationalities, so the effect is not in people of a particular locality and nationality.
Expression of the FTO gene is present not only in the brain, but also in the pancreas, kidneys, ovaries, and also in almost all cells. It performs many functions. Scientists continue to follow the participants, and may be able to discover the molecular prerequisites for the development of depression.