Genetics of Obesity #obsmuk chat 20/3/2019
Genetics of Obesity Before we begin, let’s explain some of the terms we will be seeing a lot in this discussion. Genetics is the study of genes, and how characteristics can be passed on from one generation to the next. Genes are segments of DNA that contain information. Some genes hold the instructions for building proteins that influence our characteristics, like how we look or how we behave. Changes can occur to the sequence of genes that may affect their function. Some genes have a few different versions of sequence which are normal in the population (present in more than 1% of people), these are ‘polymorphisms’- for example human blood group type. When the DNA change occurs rarely (in less than 1% of the population) then we call it a ‘mutation’. The prevalence of obesity has risen with increasing access to calorie-dense foods and a decline in energy expenditure; the ‘obesogenic environment’. However, if environment and behavioural factors were the only causes of