Obesity: Genetic Precise Genes

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Obesity is a deteriorating condition that leads to many chronic diseases such diabetes, heart failure, and high blood pressure. Consequently, scientists are in desperate need to understand and develop an effective treatment that will decrease the heightened numbers of obesity. While no specific gene therapy currently exists for the treatment of obesity, it is however considered to be the next “cure” for obesity. So could gene therapy be the solution of this epidemic or are we simply safer to adhere to exercise routines in order to lose weight? In this research paper, I will discuss obesity genes as well as exercise genes and their different roles.

Studies suggested that genetic makeup could directly cause obesity (Farooqi & O’Rahilly, 2007). …show more content…
Therefore, ‘Fatty Acid Binding Protein 4’ (FABP4) gene is one of the genes that plays a part in obesity. This gene is a member of the intracellular lipid-binding protein family that is predominantly expressed in adipose tissue, and plays an important role in maintaining glucose and lipid homeostasis. A study done by Khalyfa et al. (2010), compared the levels of FABP4 in182 obese with127 non-obese school-aged children (5-7 yrs. old). The results of the study showed that FABP4 plasma levels are significantly higher in obese children and correlate with measures of insulin resistance and systemic inflammation. Furthermore, gene variants in FABP4 appear to contribute to the pro-inflammatory and diabetogenic possibility in childhood obesity (Khalyfa et al, …show more content…
According to Won Youngwook (2014), assistant professor of Surgery at the University of Utah School of Medicine, believes that the central nervous system is not the correct target for anti-obesity treatments. He stated, “Obesity occurs when adipocytes accumulate a lot of lipids. So we have tried to develop new technologies that work directly in the obese adipocytes to block the mechanism of lipid accumulation”. Won et al developed adipocyte-specific gene therapy, by injecting obese mice on a high fat diet, with a DNA or a small interfering RNA, which target the fatty-acid-binding protein-4 (FABP4). As a result, they saw reduced expression of the FABP4 gene, which normally helps regulate lipid storage when it is at a moderate amount. With this treatment, obese mice showed a reduction in lipid accumulation, a reduction in overall body weight, and recovery of their metabolism (Won et al,
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