Having 'fat gene' can double weight gain, say scientists

It could revolutionise the way we diet, and tell us if we are likely to become overweight in later life.

Scientists today say they have discovered a gene that controls how our bodies produce and use fat. They say people with the lipin gene could put on weight twice as quickly as those without. It is hoped a test for the gene could help tailor "genetic diets" to individual bodies. Researchers had already identified genes linked to the body's production of fat, but the new discovery is the first to prove that having the lipin gene leads to weight gain.

Professor Karen Reue, of the University of California in Los Angeles, said: "Lipin regulates how the body stores and burns fat. Our findings suggest differences in lipin levels may play a role in why some people are more prone to weight gain than others who consume the same calories."

Her team checked mice for the gene then fed them a highfat diet. "The mice with too much lipin in fat tissue or muscles grew obese, gaining more than twice the weight gained by normal mice," she said.

Earlier, scientists at St Louis University concluded 50 per cent of weight gain could be blamed on genes, after carrying out a massive twins study.