Posted on 09/06/2007 8:49:14 AM PDT by nypokerface
DALLAS, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have determined a single "skinny gene" might alone control whether a body tends to accumulate fat.
"From worms to mammals, this gene controls fat formation," said Dr. Jonathan Graff of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, the study's senior author. "It could explain why so many people struggle to lose weight and suggests an entirely new direction for developing medical treatments that address the current epidemic of diabetes and obesity."
The gene, called adipose, was discovered more than 50 years ago but its mechanism was not determined.
In the new study, researchers discovered the gene is likely a high-level "master switch" that is dose-sensitive, meaning the various combinations of its variants lead to a range of body types from slim to medium to obese.
"This is good news for potential obesity treatments, because it’s like a volume control instead of a light switch; it can be turned up or down, not just on or off," Graff said. "Eventually, of course, the idea is to develop drugs to target this system, but that’s in the years to come."
The research appears in the journal Cell Metabolism.
While DNA does serve as a master template for some chemicals within the cell it has not been established that DNA is responsible for all characteristics of the cell not to mention the entire organism. This recent emphasis on DNA seems unduly hopeful.
Thanks!
Yes, discipline is the key. The first instance that one slackens when on course towards achieving a goal, is when the whole battle’s lost.
It takes almost no effort to go from, “It’s only a day I’m missing” to “This is not working and I’ve had enough!” if discipline is lost, even for a single instance.
The “punishment” of having to work doubly hard the next day, for taking off the previous, is enough to motivate me to not miss a single day, as far as possible.
IMHO, this is the only way to lose weight if one doesn’t want to overwhelm himself/herself with 3+ hrs strenuous workouts and whatnots. 30 minutes a day, and I got it done!
“What might fix it is early childhood education and conditioning about good eating habits and exercise, along with bans on the use of food ingredients found to be harmful, such as trans-fat and corn syrup.”
Hillary and bloomberg couldn’t have said it better themselves.
What if you push 2,000 calories down and still gain weight due to the way in which your body functions?
Time to put down the wheat smugglers too.
Some people are tall, some people are short. Surely that’s not hard to understand, right?
Then why is it so hard to believe that some people are genetically disposed to be fatter than others?
There’s no doubt that the base-line “calories expended” can go from almost unlimited for people with “good” genes to below starvation levels for people with “bad” genes. And the more we know about those genes, the better.
I just would hate to see that be the beginning and end of the discussion, because it is possible for the body to adapt to a better baseline when given the right inputs and outputs. I can’t imagine anything more unhealthy for the population as a whole than for a doctor to tell some people that they have “bad” genes and therefore there’s no point in working to improve one’s genetic starting point. It draws a comparison to the liberal argument that if someone is born poor, they have “lost life’s lottery” and so they should just wait for the government to give them stuff because there’s no point in working hard to overcome a poor starting point.
I am a recovering “fat-ta-holic” friend. Formerly 275 sitting on my lazy butt after retiring from the military and going to work in an office and not doing the things I did in the service. I got wise, and cleaned off the weight and now am 165. So, YUP, I know.
Are you...sure?
Advocacy of more and bigger government on Free Republic? Who'd have thunk it!
So, basically, you're rejecting some pretty amazing scientific findings because you have an opinion.
Nice.
One does hope you've returned to fats ~ or at least peanuts.
It's better to give up carbs than fats.
Then why is it so hard to believe that some people are genetically disposed to be fatter than others?
That may be true, but it's more "possible" to lose OR gain an inch of girth, than it is to lose or gain an inch heightwise, without medical intervention.
Your body “functions” as you make it function. If you sit on your butt and do absolutely nothing,you are going to gain weight. PERIOD. You need so many calories a day to maintain the weight you are. However, if you burn nothing extra by sitting on your butt, then you will gain weight. Easy as that.
And height is also determined by diet over the years. As people overseas adapt ‘western’ diets, they tend to gain height and also weight.
But so what? If you find your diet makes you fat, change it. If you find you have to do a little extra exercise than your rail thin neighbor to stay thin, do it. Don’t complain and don’t act like a victim.
But now everyone is a victim. But by playing the victim card, they’re turning themselves into the victimizers by ceding control of their own lives and bodies to someone or something else.
Wrong. I work out every day. You NEED carbs for energy. No carbs, no energy. You burn carbs working out. I don’t sit on my ass and watch tv and eat 5,000 every night. I don’t eat a pound of pizza every day. I don’t hit the McDonald’s or KY Fried drive thru’s. I work out and eat properly.
What you’re proposing sounds like some kind of radical “Eat less and exercise more” plan in order to regulate weight.
You must be insane to think like that!!!
YOu need carbs for energy. Your liver will create them for you out of protein. Think of yourself as a very large flightless bumble bee.
No, I’m not rejecting scientific findings. I’m pointing out that even IF everyone who claims to have some sort genetic weight problem does have it, they could benefit by watching what they eat and actually getting off their butts and taking a walk instead of watching tv or sitting on the computer all day.
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