Genetic predicts the risk of obesity in the first few years of weight gain

Using genetic data from more than 5 million people, scientists have developed a new multigene risk score that predicts the risk of adult obesity starting in young children.

These findings are published in Natural Medicinerevealing that this genetic tool can explain 17.6% of the body mass index (BMI) (a significant leap from an early model) and can inform early intervention strategies during critical age growth in children.

Early genetic patterns track life-weight gain

Obesity is a complex disease affected by genes and the environment. The World Obesity Federation predicts that by 2035, more than half of the global population will be overweight or obese, emphasizing the need for effective prevention. Traditional methods such as surgery or medication are limited by access and effectiveness. This study suggests that genetics may provide reliable early signals.

The new polygenic risk score (PGS) developed by international teams at the University of Copenhagen and the University of Bristol is based on slight differences in DNA from millions of individuals. The researchers found that the score was not only closely related to adult obesity, but also began to show meaningful connections with BMI before the age of five.

“What makes the score so powerful is the consistency of the association between genetic scores and body mass index before age five and during adulthood,” said Roelof Smit, assistant professor at Roelof Smit, lead author of the paper.

How does polygenic score perform?

• This score explains 17.6% of BMI variants in people of European descent.
• In children studied by the ALSPAC, high genetic scores predicted BMI starting at 2.5 years of age.
• Adding PG to birth predictors almost doubled the accuracy of predicting BMI at age 8 (from 11% to 21%).
• The accuracy of PG is the best previous approach to predict the risk of obesity.

Real-world benefits and limitations

While PGS can help identify children at risk and guide changes in early lifestyles, researchers are cautious and do not think deterministically. Genetics affects risks, but does not hide fate. Interestingly, people with high genetic risk are more likely to benefit from severe weight loss interventions, although they also tend to recover faster once the program is over.

“Obesia is a major public health issue…we believe some of them [risk factors] Originated in childhood.

Performance gaps among various groups

A key limitation: PGS works much better for people of European descent than for people of African descent. For example, it explains only 2.2% of the changes in BMI in rural Uganda cohorts. The researchers highlight the need to improve ancestors across genetic prediction tools to avoid widening health disparities.

This study increases our understanding of when and whom stimulus risks. By elucidating the earliest root causes of weight gain, it may help prevent proactive science for obesity.

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