The genetics of obesity: from discovery to biology

The prevalence of obesity has tripled over the past four decades, imposing an enormous burden on people's health. Polygenic (or common) obesity and rare, severe, early-onset monogenic obesity are often polarized as distinct diseases. However, gene discovery studies for both forms of obesity sho...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature reviews. Genetics Vol. 23; no. 2; pp. 120 - 133
Main Authors: Loos, Ruth J F, Yeo, Giles S H
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England Nature Publishing Group 01.02.2022
Subjects:
Age
Animals
Body weight
Eating - genetics
Gene-Environment Interaction
Genetic Predisposition to Disease - genetics
Genetic Variation
Genome, Human - genetics
Genome-wide association studies
Genome-Wide Association Study - methods
Genomes
Humans
Multifactorial Inheritance - genetics
Obesity
Obesity - genetics
Overweight - genetics
Whole Genome Sequencing - methods
ISSN:1471-0056, 1471-0064, 1471-0064
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The prevalence of obesity has tripled over the past four decades, imposing an enormous burden on people's health. Polygenic (or common) obesity and rare, severe, early-onset monogenic obesity are often polarized as distinct diseases. However, gene discovery studies for both forms of obesity show that they have shared genetic and biological underpinnings, pointing to a key role for the brain in the control of body weight. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) with increasing sample sizes and advances in sequencing technology are the main drivers behind a recent flurry of new discoveries. However, it is the post-GWAS, cross-disciplinary collaborations, which combine new omics technologies and analytical approaches, that have started to facilitate translation of genetic loci into meaningful biology and new avenues for treatment.
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ISSN:1471-0056
1471-0064
1471-0064
DOI:10.1038/s41576-021-00414-z