Study From Canada IDs More Rare, Genetic Forms of Obesity quoting : AJMC

"Rare genetic forms of Obesity with many additional clinical features, such as intellectual disability, facial and organ-specific abnormalities, do exist, Meyre said.The paper, he said, is a first step toward understanding more about how genes cause these rare syndromes, and how genetic causes affect obesity in the general population. The health issues that come alongside obesity can be significant, according to Meyre and the study's first author, Yuvreet Kaur. Advances in the study of genetics will speed the next steps, the authors predict."With technological advancements in the field of genetics, improved genetic elucidation can potentially identify disease genes for the partially-elucidated and non-elucidated obesity syndromes," they wrote. For more than a quarter (22), scientists have not isolated either the chromosomal location or the gene, meaning much work remains.While genetic conditions that cause obesity are rare, the study shows how they affect a wider population than previously believed. The results were reported in Obesity Reviews.Only 19 of the 79 genetic syndromes identified in the review have been studied to the point that a lab test could confirm presence in a patient, the authors said.




Diet and exercise may play a major role in obesity; however, it seems that genetic forms of obesity are more common than expected. Canadian researchers were able to catalog 79 rare genetic syndromes with obesity as a key symptom. The knowledge derived from these studies could then be applied to more common forms of obesity. According to CNN, scientists have been aware of two dozen conditions that could be attributed to weight gain. Food stops such as burgers, take aways and pizza deliveries were thought to be the main problem that resulted to massive weight gain.