Genes Determine Where Your Fat Lands
Body shape and fat distribution appear to be partially controlled by genes involved normal development. DNA chips were used to compare the levels of activity for three specific genes – Tbx15, Gpc4, and HoxA5. Intra-abdominal and subcutaneous fat taken from individuals of normal weight versus overweight or obese individuals were analyzed with these three genes appearing to be especially important in fat deposits and obesity.
Dr. Stephane Gesta:
The differences we found in gene expression were so distinct that we could identify the body mass index (level of obesity) and the waist/hip ratio (whether the fat is in the abdomen or under the skin) in the overweight population by the expression level of these genes. This finding suggests that the expression of these genes could be related to the pathogenesis of obesity.
An understanding of why some of us get larger while others don’t will eventually help us develop some form of drug therapy to help the most extreme cases. Of course, changing our lifestyle would be far less dramatic and invasive.
Eat right, exercise, and live healthily. I know it’s not easy to do, but at some point we just gotta suck it up and do it.
EurekAlert, April 10, 2006















[...] When newspapers announce that a gene has been discovered for a certain disease — such as the recent findings of genes involved in chronic fatigue syndrome, schizophrenia, and obesity — we inevitably get calls from people interested in testing for that genetic finding. But “finding a gene” can mean a few different things. [...]
im trying to do research to the best of my knowledge about my body type which is appleshape or cone shape or in slang term top heavy or foul built. im 41 black female. in my 20s and early 30s my weight was more porportioned now my thighs have gotten unatractively smaller 23 inches and my buttocks are flat my stomach is 45 inches and i weigh 196 pounds wearing size 10 pants. what caused my thighs to become thinner and my waist bigger i was born to have big breast ,last year i got a breast reduction thinking that would poportion me better it made me worser. how do i build up my thighs and what caused this. my mother was built like this but only when she got up in age when she was younger she had a descent fiure. im to nice lookin in the face to have such a foul figur please give me the background or leads on women having anatomies like or almost like men please respond thank you