Apples for Health- Obesity gene signals body to gain weight

Obesity gene signals body to gain weight

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have determined that a specific gene plays a role in the weight-gain response to a high-fat diet in animals.

Senior author Kamal Mehta of Ohio State University's College of Medicine said the finding suggests blocking this gene could one day be a therapeutic strategy to reduce diet-related obesity and associated disorders, such as diabetes and liver damage, in humans.

The study, published online in the journal Hepatology, found that a diet rich in fat induced production of this gene, called protein kinase C beta, in the fat cells of mice. The mice rapidly gained weight while eating a high-fat diet for 12 weeks.

On the other hand, mice genetically engineered to lack kinase C beta beta gained relatively little weight and showed minimal health effects after eating the same high-fat diet, the study said.

In comparing the effects of the high-fat diet and a regular diet, the scientists found that mice fed the high-fat diet produced more kinase C beta in their fat tissue than did mice eating a regular diet.

"It could be that the high-fat diet is a signal to the body to store more fat," Mehta said in a statement. "And when that gene is not there, then the fat storage cannot occur."