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| Awww..... can you say, "KSR2"? | |
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It's not uncommon to see an obese individual walking about anymore, what with all the fast food and door-to-door pizza deliveries. Well sometimes it really isn't that person's fault. In fact, scientists recently discovered the gene (
KSR2) that affects appetite and metabolism when mutations occur. These mutations can cause metabolism to slow, and on top of that increase the desire to eat: A DOUBLE WHAMMY!!! What first led scientists to this conclusion was that when taking the KSR2 gene out of mice completely, obesity occurred. KSR2 was then studied in humans, which showed the gene worked similarly to the mice (Don't worry, I'm sure they DID NOT take the entire gene out, that would just be unethical). KSR2 was continuously observed, with mutations causing defects such as lower heart rate and severe resistance to insulin. Scientists began testing mutation-correcting (NOT gene-altering) drugs until one drug in particular, metformin, solved the problem of low fatty acid oxidation levels. My question to you is this: It seems like every week mutations in genes are being corrected for by seemingly simple methods. Could science REALLY be evolving that fast, or are there some factors being overlooked by the optimistic bloggers writing about these research stories?
For more information,
click here for the research article.
It kind of sounds like the a KSR2 mutation causes type 2 diabetes and obesity is a side effect of that. Because when given metformin, their diabetes was treated, but it doesn't say that metabolism was increased or corrected.
ReplyDeleteThere have been a lot of studies out recently about obesity. I sort of feel like science is portraying to picture "if you're obese, it's not your fault".
I would have to agree with Gab, it does seem like a lot of people these days are saying that being obese isn't a person's fault. With more and more research being done on this subject it does seem like there is some truth to that statement. Although mutations in these genes like KSR2 have shown to affect weight, but I still think that is not the sole reason for obesity. I also think that there is a lot more that goes into these studies than what is presented in blogs.
ReplyDeleteHEY! I wrote about this last week also! I think it is interesting that they are trying to develop a drug to treat this mutation. I too believe that it is amazing how scienct is evolving, but like you said, it could be factors that are overlooked. Here's a question for you that I had on my post, would this be considered the new weight loss drug for those it applied to?
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