"Pear" Or "apple" - Depends On The Genes
Author: Dean Rouseberg
Time for reading: ~1
minutes
Last Updated:
August 08, 2022
Scientists have identified 13 chromosome regions (loci) that determine the type of obesity ....
British scientists have established the link between genetic factors and the development of different types of obesity in men and women, reports the BBC.
The results of the study, led by Cecilia Lindgren of Oxford University, were published in the scientific journal Nature Genetics.
The researchers analyzed the genetic material of more than 77,000 people. The body mass index (weight-to-height ratio) of the volunteers was also calculated, as well as the ratio of waist circumference to thigh circumference.
Specialists also determined the type of obesity in each of the volunteers - ie. whether male type (central) or female type. In the male type of obesity, often called the "apple" type, excess fat is deposited in the abdomen and waist, and in the female type of obesity - the "pear" type - in the thighs and buttocks.
Analyzing the data, the researchers identified 13 chromosome regions (loci) that determine the type of obesity in each of the volunteers. The study authors note that in these chromosomal regions are located the genes that regulate metabolic processes and the exchange of cholesterol and insulin, which play a key role in the risk of developing diabetes.
The researchers also found that women with gene mutations at these loci had a much stronger effect on the body's weight and thigh-to-waist ratio than men.
Experts remind that the deposition of adipose tissue in different areas of the body is a risk factor for the development of various health problems. People with central obesity or so-called "apples" have a much higher risk of diabetes or cardiovascular problems than "pears".
According to the head of the study, the results obtained by them will allow the development of more effective methods for treatment and prevention of obesity and related diseases.