The genetic and lifestyle factors of parents, such as the amount of sleep they get at night, may influence the body weight of their children, a new study suggests. Titled “The Association of Parental Genetic, Lifestyle, and Social Determinants of Health with Offspring Overweight,” the study was…
A Phase 3 clinical trial testing setmelanotide as a treatment for insatiable hunger and severe obesity in people with Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) and Alström syndrome has completed enrollment for its pivotal group of participants. However, Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, the company developing setmelanotide, said in a press release that it…
Mutations in the MRAP2 gene may increase the risk for obesity, high blood sugar, and hypertension, a large genetic study has found. The study, “Loss-of-function mutations in MRAP2 are pathogenic in hyperphagic obesity with hyperglycemia and hypertension,” was published in the journal Nature Medicine. Loss-of-function mutations…
One-year treatment with setmelanotide in two Phase 3 trials significantly decreased the body mass index (BMI) of people with POMC deficiency or LEPR deficiency, two genetic obesity disorders. The data were presented at ObesityWeek 2019, the annual meeting of The Obesity Society, held Nov. 3-8 in…
Carrying a genetic risk for obesity and high blood pressure is associated with a shorter lifespan, a study suggests. The study, “Trans-ethnic mega-biobank polygenic risk score analysis involving 676,000 individuals identified blood pressure and obesity as causal drivers affecting human longevity,” was presented at the…
People with a genetic risk for being overweight or obese are more likely to have an incisional hernia — or hernia that’s a complication of a surgery — and, if obese, a post-surgical infection as well, a study suggests. “Association of Genetic Risk of Obesity with Postoperative…
A naturally occurring nonhuman primate model of Bardet-Biedl syndrome closely mimics the primary features of the condition in humans, including retinal and kidney anomalies, and may help researchers to understand the disease better and to test new therapeutic options. The model was described in the journal Experimental Eye Research,…
Perceived social norms have a big impact on college students’ attitudes toward genetic testing for obesity-related genes — which may be due to a lack of education about these tests, a new study shows. The study, “What Motivates Individuals to Get Obesity Related Direct-To-Consumer Genetic Tests? A…
While some genetic factors control growth and weight in both children and adults, those of most importance are actually different between children and adults and appear to change significantly over childhood, a study reports. Its findings were published in the journal Nature Communications, in the paper “Genome-wide…
Genomic studies of isolated populations can help identify very rare genetic variants that significantly impact human traits, including obesity, a new Finnish study demonstrates. Titled “Exome sequencing of Finnish isolates enhances rare-variant association power,” the study was published in the journal Nature. One of the overarching…
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