Deleting gene eliminates obesity, highly significant for
humans
Researchers have discovered that deleting a specific gene in
mice prevents them from becoming obese even on a high fat diet, a finding they
believe may be replicated in humans.
"When fed a diet that induces obesity these mice don’t
get fat," said Prof. James McManaman, Ph.D., lead author of the study and
vice-chairman of research for Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of
Colorado School of Medicine. "It may be possible to duplicate this in
humans using existing technology that targets this specific gene."
The two-year study, funded by the National Institutes of
Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was published last month in The
Journal of Lipid Research.