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Review
. 2017 Jul 6;9(7):e1435.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.1435.

The Interplay of Genetics and Environmental Factors in the Development of Obesity

Abu Baker Sheikh  1 , Adeel Nasrullah  1 , Shujaul Haq  1 , Aisha Akhtar  2 , Haider Ghazanfar  3 , Amara Nasir  4 , Rao M Afzal  5 , Marvi M Bukhari  5 , Ahtsham Yousaf Chaudhary  6 , Syed W Naqvi  4
Affiliations
Review

The Interplay of Genetics and Environmental Factors in the Development of Obesity

Abu Baker Sheikh et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Obesity is a major health issue in the developed nations, and it has been increasingly clear that both genetics and environment play an important role in determining if an individual will be obese or not. We reviewed the latest researches which were carried out to identify the obesity susceptible genes and to identify the metabolic pathways having a central role in energy balance. Obesity is a heritable disorder, and some of the many obesity susceptible genes are fat mass and obesity (FTO), leptin, and Melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R). Glucose metabolism is the central pathway for fatty acid synthesis, de novo generating the major substrate acetyl-CoA. Further knowledge of these genes and their complex interaction with the environment will help devise individual, family and community-based preventive lifestyle interventions as well as nutritional and medical therapies.

Keywords: biomarkers; energy imbalance; environmental determinants of health; epidemiology; epigenetics; genetics; genomic assay; obesity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Prevalence of Obesity in Males with Age Greater Than 18 Years
Figure 2
Figure 2. Prevalence of Obesity in Females with Age Greater Than 18 Years
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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