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Slim people's genes help them stay slim

Skinny Genes - Level 4

Researchers say people's genes help them to stay slim. Thin people have DNA that help them stay slim and stops them putting on weight. A professor of metabolism and medicine said: "Genes play at least 40 per cent of a role in people's weight. It's much more than people realize." This might explain why some people are naturally skinny, while others have problems with keeping their weight down.

The researchers wanted to find out why so many people struggle with their weight. On the island of Nauru, 94.5 per cent of adults are overweight. The professor wanted to help people who are struggling. She said: "It's easy to rush to judgment and criticize people for their weight....Healthy, thin people are generally thin because they have a lower burden of genes that increase a person's chances of being overweight."

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Skinny Genes - Level 5

Researchers from Cambridge University say people's genes help them to stay slim. They discovered that thin people had DNA that helped them stay slim. Their DNA contained fewer things linked to being overweight. A professor of metabolism and medicine, Sadaf Farooqi, said: "We've found that there are genes associated with thinness. Genes play at least 40 per cent of a role in people's weight. It's much more than people realize." This might help explain why some people are naturally skinny while others have problems with keeping their weight down.

The study is in the journal PLOS Genetics. The researchers wanted to find out why so many people struggle with their weight. An incredible 94.5 per cent of adults on the South Pacific island of Nauru are overweight. Professor Farooqi said she wanted to help people who are struggling. She said: "It's easy to rush to judgment and criticize people for their weight, but the science shows that things are far more complex." She added: "Healthy, thin people are generally thin because they have a lower burden of genes that increase a person's chances of being overweight."

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Skinny Genes - Level 6

New research suggests that people's genes are key to helping them stay slim. A study from Cambridge University in the U.K. discovered that thin people had DNA that contained variants which helped them stay slim and fewer variants linked to being overweight. Researcher Sadaf Farooqi, professor of metabolism and medicine, said: "We've found that there are genes associated with thinness." She added: "Genes play at least 40 per cent of a role in people's weight. It's much more than people realize." This might help explain why some people are naturally skinny while others have big problems with keeping their weight down and seem to pile on the pounds so easily.

The study is published in the journal PLOS Genetics. The researchers said they undertook the study to find out why so many people struggle with their weight. Over 30 per cent of American adults are obese, while a staggering 94.5 per cent of adults on the South Pacific island of Nauru are overweight. Professor Farooqi said she wanted to help people who are struggling with their weight. She said: "It's easy to rush to judgment and criticize people for their weight, but the science shows that things are far more complex." She added: "Healthy, thin people are generally thin because they have a lower burden of genes that increase a person's chances of being overweight and not because they are morally superior."

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