Scientists have identified a gene mutation that causes some people to have larger appetites and could lead them to weigh, on average, an additional 2.5 stone (17kg) each by the age of 18.
The gene, called MC4R, is responsible for sending signals to the body’s “appetite centres” to tell them how much fat is stored in the body and if we need to eat to store more.
But when the gene is faulty, the brain thinks the body has lower fat stores than it actually does, signalling that it is starving and needs to eat.
The study suggests that around 200,000 people in the UK could carry a “substantial amount of additional fat” because of this mutation.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge and the University of Bristol found that one in every 340 people may carry a mutation of the MC4R gene that causes it to be faulty.
The authors examined the MC4R gene in 6,000 people born in Bristol between 1990 to 1991, who were recruited to long-running health study called Children of the 90s.
Scientists were then able to provide best estimates of the frequency and impact of MC43…
