What are obesity genes

Researchers have announced the discovery of the first common gene link to obesity.
They reviewed genetic data on more than 38,000 children and adults in the U.K. and Europe. A certain variation in the FTO gene was associated extra body fat, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.But this does not mean that diet and Exercise are important in controlling obesity.The association is mediated through changes in fat mass and is detected across a range of adiposity.This results were announced by researchers of
Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Science, Peninsula Medical School, Magdalen Road, Exeter,UK.But one important potential source of false positive associations in genetic studies is population stratification.This could arise from either ethnic admixture or alternatively population stratification within an ethnically homogenous
group. In this study cohorts any individuals who were not European whites were excluded. In addition the cohorts were all recruited from single countries with the
majority coming from specific small geographically defined regions and analysis for association was only done within individual cohorts. Analysis of the FTO signal does not support this association resulting from population
stratification

Source:Science express