UBC researchers discover possible ‘obesity gene’

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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – It could be an important discovery in the cause of obesity.

UBC researchers have discovered a gene in mice that could one day help you lose weight. It’s only a first step, but it’s an important one, says researcher Gareth Lim with UBC.

“We have two different types of fat in our bodies — essentially, good fat and bad fat. This gene actually encodes for protein that has been found to determine the amount of bad fat that we have.”

Being able to control that could have a number of health benefits.

“This bad fat is what we associate with heart disease and diabetes. This is, to our knowledge, the first indication… that this gene has this kind of role in the body,” he explains.

“While we showed — in mice, at least — that the absence of this gene results in a lack of this bad fat, with increased levels, these mice actually do become obese. It’s a clear cause-and-effect relationship,” adds Lim.

But it will still be years before the science can be applied humans.

“What we envision is to try and target this protein or gene and perhaps even its associated proteins for the treatment of obesity,” says Lim.

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