Contact:
Mag. My Hue McGowran
Phone: +43-1-81140-308
E-Mail: mcgowran@newsfox.com
| Pressbox | 
|
Lille, France (pte041/19.07.2005/16:09) - Scientists have discovered that a faulty gene that causes resistance to insulin may result in obesity and diabetes over generations.
The study looked at 1225 children aged 5 to 11 who were clinically obese, and 1205 normal weight children. It found that the obese children were two to three times more likely to have a mutated copy of the gene ENPP1.
Philippe Froguel from Institut Pasteur in Lille, France http://lessites.service-public.fr/cgi-bin/annusite/annusite.fcgi/nat6?lang=uk&orga=461, and colleagues from Imperial College London, UK http://www.imperial.ac.uk/, found a similar risk of obesity in the children's parents and grandparents.
"Our study shows that insulin resistance might be a cause and not just a consequence of obesity," said Froguel.
The mutant gene is present in up to 20 per cent of Caucasians and 50 per cent of black people. Because it binds to insulin receptors in the body - mainly in the brain and pancreas - it prevents insulin from binding there. The result is that free insulin in the blood leads to increased glucose production from the liver, which is what normally happens when someone has not eaten for several hours. The adipose tissues soak up the glucose, storing it as layers of fat, which leads to obesity.
The resistance to insulin makes it harder for insulin to be secreted to the pancreas, leading to increased risk of diabetes, type II.
According to Froguel, the gene could then send messages to the brain, telling it that the stomach still requires nutrients in the form of food.
Environmental factors, Froguel keenly pointed out, still have an influence on those who are obese.
"The 20-year difference in expression of the gene abnormality shows the devastating consequences of recent environmental factors, such as eating high-glycaemic foods and a lack of exercise," Froguel said.
"It is a strong indication that these foods should be massively discouraged and exercise increased. We can't do anything about the gene mutation, but we should be able to prevent increased insulin resistance resulting from environmental factors," he added.
(end)
|
|
