Genetics Effecting Obesity

Jade Timothy
March 30, 2016
Professor Dan Carpenter
Biology 1010

True or false: The percentage of overweight children and adolescents in the U.S. has
nearly tripled since the early 1970s. If you guessed true, then you got the answer correct.
From the ages six to seventeen, over one in five children is considered obese (Devlin).
Although genes play a role in being obese, it takes behavior and genetics to become obese
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Obesity results from the energy imbalance that
occurs when a person consumes more calories than their body burns. Obesity is a serious
public health problem because it is associated with some of the leading causes of death in the
U.S. and worldwide, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancer
(Behavior, Environment, and Genetic Factors All Have a Role in Causing People to Be
Overweight and Obese). Genes factor into obesity by the ways of mental addictions to food,
inheriting obesity genes, and from genetic mutations.
Studies have shown that there are genes in the brain that contribute to appetite. Some
people have become addicted to food, which is a factor of the genes they have inherited or
developed (Devlin). The addiction may come from stress eating or from depression, like a
go-to escape from a situation. In many cases of extreme obesity, it all started with a rough
situation with family or friends and usually starts while someone is young. This then
continues on to their adult years. Certain foods that can be eaten may cause mutations
overtime. If people continue to eat these harmful foods unknowingly or if they just overeat in
general, they will become extremely obese and dont know what to do with themselves or
even really know how to fix it. By this point, their bodies have changed and the genes that
have changed will be passed on to their generations, which will make it easier for
generations to come to be overweight.
It is said that there is a two to eight times probability that you are likely to be obese if
it runs in your family (Genetics Plays a Role in Obesity). The genes that are passed on
through your family adapt to them being overweight. Those genes can be passed on down the
line of family, making their children more likely to be obese without even trying that hard.
Fifty-six different types of genes have been attributed to obesity phenotype (Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention). Some of the family-related obesity diseases are diabetes,
cardiovascular diseases, and some forms of cancer (Behavior, Environment, and Genetic
Factors All Have a Role in Causing People to Be Overweight and Obese). Like it was said
before, the percentage of overweight children and adolescents in the U.S. has nearly tripled
since the early 1970s, which could be from inheriting mutated genes passed down from
earlier generations of overweight or obese people.
Obesity may also be caused genetic mutations, even though only 78 cases of these
genetic mutations have been recorded from the seven different types of mutated genes
(Genetics Plays a Role in Obesity). A study done by researchers from Boston Childrens
Hospital and the University of Cambridge tested mice with and without the Mrap2
(Melanocortin 2 receptor accessory protein 2) gene. According to Elsevier Inc., Mrap2
regulates the transport of melanocortin receptors to the cell membrane and also abrogate or
facilitate ligand-induced activation of intracellular signaling.
In the end, it showed that mice with this genetic mutation caused them to hold on to

fat and put it into storage, as the mice without Mrap2 were able to function with a regular
metabolism. The mice tested without the Mrap2 gene were even obese when they were
underfed. Mice with the mutation gain more weight and are somehow more efficient with
the food they eat, said Dr. Joseph Majzoub (Chief of Endocrinology at Boston Childrens
Hospital). Theyre not burning it; theyre somehow holding on to it. The Mrap2 gene was
found in 500 of the patients they screened, but only one copy of the gene was located in the
majority of the random patients (Genetic Mutations Causes Obesity).
Another test researched by David Powell and colleagues at Lexicon Pharmaceuticals
in Texas. They tested the gene KSR2 (Kinase Suppressor of Ras 2), which is part of a group
of cells that work with insulin to make sure it is being processed the right way. It also
controls how cells grow, use energy, and divide. They tested mice and were able to delete the
gene KSR2. The result of this testing was that the mice became extremely obese because of
the mutation of disrupted cells. The depletion of KSR2 also led to the cell to not be able to
use the right amount of fatty acids and glucose. Because of the testing on mice, it led to the
researching of this specific gene in humans to see if the effect would be the same. Within the
2,000 extremely obese patients they were able to research, they found various types of
mutations in the KSR2 gene. (Novel Genetic Mutations Cause Low Metabolic Rate and
Obesity).
The ending result of this study was that the KSR2 gene and the different mutations of
it do have an effect on the obesity of humans. At first, the researchers thought the problem
was an underactive thyroid gland, but the blood tests from the thyroids were normal, so that
idea was cancelled out from further testing. The metabolism of the patients was slower from
the nonexistence of the KSR2 gene causing them to hold on to the fat instead of burning it
off like a regular metabolism would do.
It was said that the patients, in their younger years, had more of an addiction to food
because of the missing gene, which caused them to have a reduced metabolism rate. They
were not able to use up all the energy that they were eating. Up until now, the genes we
have identified that control body weight have largely affected appetite. However, KSR2 is
different in that it also plays a role in regulating how energy is used in the body. In the future,
modulation of KSR2 may represent a useful therapeutic strategy for obesity and type 2
diabetes, said Professor Sadaf Farooqi from the University of Cambridges Wellcome TrustMRC Institute of Metabolic Science. He also stated that, In the future, modulation of KSR2
may represent a useful therapeutic strategy for obesity and type 2 diabetes. (Novel Genetic
Mutations Cause Low Metabolic Rate and Obesity).
The increasing rate of obesity in the United States is getting out of hand, since it has
almost tripled since the 1970s. With the obesity research study on mice and the many
severely obese patients that have been tested on, the obesity problem in the U.S. may be able
to be treated and decrease. The research and studies can therapeutically fix obesity within an
individual so it is not passed down to their generations. Genes factor into obesity by the ways
of mental addictions to food, inheriting obesity genes, and from genetic mutations.

Works Cited
"Behavior, Environment, and Genetic Factors All Have a Role in Causing People to Be
Overweight and Obese." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
Devlin, Hannah. "'Obesity Genes' Help Determine Size and Shape, Studies Find." The
Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 2015. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
"Genetic Mutation Causes Obesity." University of Cambridge. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
"Genetics Plays a Role in Obesity." Genetics Plays a Role in Obesity. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
"Novel Genetic Mutations Cause Low Metabolic Rate and Obesity." University of
Cambridge. 25 Oct. 2013. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.
"Teachers vs Childhood Obesity." DonorsChoose.org. Blog. 2011. Web. 26 Mar. 2016.