Researchers have identified six new gene mutations linked to obesity and said on Sunday they point to ways the brain and nervous system control eating and metabolism, Reuters reported. "Today's findings are a major step forward in understanding how the human body regulates weight," Dr. Alan Guttmacher, Acting director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, said in a statement. "This study essentially doubles in one fell swoop the number of known and replicated genetic factors contributing to obesity as a public health problem," added Dr. Kari Stefansson, Chief Executive Officer of deCODE Genetics of Iceland and one of the researchers. The international team analyzed 300,000 one-letter mutations in the genetic code known as single nucleotide polymorohisms or SNPs in more than 30,000 people from Iceland, the Netherlands and the United States. They cross-checked their findings in 40,000 people from Denmark and the United states. --More
