Obesity Gene Identified or 'Does this INSIG2 make me look fat?'
Going through my RSS feeds tonight I read this article in NewScientist.com commenting that researchers believe they have identified a genetic link to obesity. Identified as a variation in the INSIG2 area of humans DNA, these scientists looked at almost 87,000 points in the code which show varaition.
"The US researchers, led by Albert Herbert at the Boston University Medical School, found that an individual with two copies of the C variant is 22% more likely to have a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 – the point where people move from being "overweight" to "obese"."
22%, that's it? 22%? I have a statistic for you, 100% of consumers who eat a Twinkie, followed by a cookie, preceded by a can of Cheeze Whiz will be obese. (Sorry - sidebar)
Speaking of genetics, you ought to read a book any knuckle-dragger (I ought to know) could understand that explains the exponential leaps the field has taken over the last 50 or so years, called "As the Future Catches You" by Juan Enriquez (eBookmall.com).
I could easily see a time when genomics will allow us to determine exactly what diet would benefit each individual greatest based on their specific code. However, what will be completely game changing is when food is genetically engineered to not make people gain weight. The important call-outs on your packaging won't be rich with vitamins, D, C, or E - rather A (Adenine) T (Thymine), C (Cytosine), and G (Guanine).
Comments
On Jul 7 at 06:05 PM dws said:
And how large was the study group? If it was, let's say, 25000 rather than 25 or 250 or even 2500, and the study can be replicated by someone else, then maybe. Also, what controls were there imposed on the study? There is much yet to be known. Because someone says something is fact, does not make it so.
On May 1 at 12:12 AM said:
I don't know how I feel about this? Should I feel better about food that is engineered to be better for me? I should give it a try I suppose - but I doubt that many consumers agree with me.