Friday, October 12, 2012

Genes, Obesity and What?

There is another recent article in NEJM which I cannot fully grasp. Namely the authors contend that it is a genetic driver that children who over consume sugar based drinks get fat!

They state:

In conclusion, our data provide consistent evidence from three separate cohorts that greater consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with a more pronounced genetic predisposition to elevated BMI and obesity risk among women and men.

Now as usual they try to shift the blam to some "disease state". In this case they state:

We selected 32 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that represent all 32 loci that are known to be associated with BMI

One may have a SNP but one must consume the calories. SNPs do not force one to over consume. 

They continue:

The genetic-predisposition score was calculated on the basis of the 32 SNPs with the use of a previously reported weighting method; scores range from 0 to 64, with higher scores indicating a higher genetic predisposition to obesity.

 Is this correlative or causative. The details seem to be missing.

Yes obesity is a problem, but as is well known all too frequently it is driven by one and only one factor, over consumption. Reduce the consumption and in almost all cases the obesity goes, genes or no genes.

I am afraid that this type of argument makes into a disease what is merely individual responsibility. It will just drive up health care costs.