Italian scientists have found a variant of a well-known obesity gene that acts in the opposite direction, preventing weight gain.
Their 14-year study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, raises hope of new treatment for and prevention of obesity, a rising health problem worldwide.
"We monitored people with a 'normal' weight, who stayed slim during the trial, and found they had a variant form of the CBI receptor gene, different from the one found in the obese," said Chiara Laezza of the National Research Council unit in Naples.
They also had lower blood sugar levels, she said.
"This variant of the CBI receptor, which doesn't work or works differently, therefore acts as a protection against obesity".
