Utah researchers may be close to finding a solution to chronic obesity.
The team has isolated the location of the gene or genes responsible for the problem.
Once the gene itself is found, it could lead to a therapy for extremely heavy people who've had no success at dieting.
Science Specialist Ed Yeates has the story.
The gene or genes which now make some people put on too much weight may have served a useful purpose a long, long time ago.
Dr. Donna Shattuck / Co-Investigator, Myriad Genetics: "THERE IS A HYPOTHESIS, A THRIFTY GENE HYPOTHESIS, THAT THE GENE WHICH UNDERLIES THE MAJORITY OF OBESITY ACTUALLY USED TO HAVE A SURVIVAL BENEFIT."
Back when times were lean and food was scarce, when humans could easily waste away, this thrifty gene probably kicked in, holding on to calories to keep us healthy.
But times have changed!
SHATTUCK: "WHAT WE THINK IS THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL NORMAL GENES THAT ALLOW YOU TO USE EVERY SINGLE CALORIE THAT YOU INGEST. AND NOW WITH ABUNDANT FOOD SUPPLIES THOSE PEOPLE BECOME OBESE."
So in some families, those thrifty genes pass down through generations, contributing to both gross and moderate obesity, no matter what the diet, no matter how much exercise.
ED YEATES, SCIENCE SPECIALIST: "FINDING A GENE OR GENES RESPONSIBLE FOR OBESITY IS PERHAPS ONE OF THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER PRIZES AMONG GENETIC RESEARCHERS."
Now teams here at Myriad Genetics and the University of Utah's School of Medicine have discovered a specific location on the human chromosome where these genes reside.
SHATTUCK: "WE'RE CONVINCED THERE'S A GENE UNDERLYING THIS LOCAS AND WE'RE VERY CONFIDENT WE'LL FIND IT - MAYBE NOT WITHIN THE NEXT MONTH, BUT WE WILL FIND IT."
Once they do, a new drug could target the gene or its pathway, perhaps turning the switch off or blocking the command to save all the calories.
Ed Yeates, Eyewitness News.
Gene therapy could help those who can't be helped by conventional dieting and exercise programs.
April 17, 2002
