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Is childhood obesity linked to your genes?

9 December 2009

Faults in sections of your DNA can lead to childhood obesity, according to new research.

Genetics may play a part in obesity for some children, but unhealthy eating and low activity levels, or a combination of both, are the most likely cause of your child being overweight.

Dr Paula Franklin, Bupa's Director of healthcare development

Scientists looked at 300 children with severe obesity. They studied each child's DNA and checked for particular faults, known as copy number variants (CNVs). CNVs are missing parts (deletions) or duplications of sections of your DNA.

The researchers found that certain parts of DNA were missing in some children with severe obesity.

The results of the study suggest that deletions in chromosome number 16, in particular in a gene called SH2B1, are linked with childhood obesity. SH2B1 is involved in how the hormones leptin and insulin work. Leptin, which is made by your fat cells, controls your appetite and insulin regulates your blood sugar levels.

Children with deletions in the SH2B1 gene had abnormally increased appetites. They also had severe insulin resistance, which means their cells don't respond to insulin properly. Insulin helps your cells absorb glucose, where it's then converted into energy. If you're insulin resistant, glucose can build up in your bloodstream and levels of insulin need to be higher than normal to control your blood sugar level.

Dr Paula Franklin, Director of healthcare development at Bupa, commented: "This is an interesting study and is the first to link copy number variants to obesity. However, although genetics may play a part for some children, unhealthy eating and low activity levels, or a combination of both, are the most likely cause of children becoming overweight.

"With so many opportunities to watch TV, surf the internet or play computer games, children don't move about as much as they should. Children should be doing at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day. Get your child up and about as much as possible. You should also make sure he or she eats a healthy balanced diet. Try to limit the amount of high-fat and sugary foods like chocolate, biscuits, cakes and crisps that your child eats. Replace them with healthier alternatives such as fresh, dried or tinned fruit."

Key facts
  • Childhood obesity rates are rapidly increasing. In 2007, about 22 million children under the age of five were overweight throughout the world.
  • If your child is overweight or obese, it's more likely that he or she will develop some serious health problems more often seen in adulthood, such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
  • Overweight children are twice as likely to be obese when they grow up, compared with children who aren't overweight.
  • As well as being a health risk, being overweight as a child may also cause emotional problems. Teasing about his or her appearance can affect a child's confidence and self-esteem, and can lead to isolation and depression.

Related information

Read the study

Elena G. Bochukova, Ni Huang, Julia Keogh et al. Large, rare chromosomal deletions associated with severe early-onset obesity. Nature advance online publication, 6 December 2009 doi:10.1038/nature08689

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