FTO mutations increase risk of obesity and diabetes: Study

NEUHERBERG, Germany, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Mutations in fat mass and obesity-associated, or FTO, and dopamine receptor genes can increase the risk of diabetes, an international research team says.

Investigators led by scientists at the German Center for Diabetes Research observed mutations in dopamine receptor and FTO genes alongside colleagues from Sweden and the United States. In a study that examined both gene types in rodents, researchers say they have uncovered new information regarding the onset of a disease that affects almost 30 million people in the United States alone.

"Our studies show that when both genes are mutated, this can have a far-reaching effect on health," researcher Martin Heni said in a press release. "Unfortunately, this unfavorable combination of both gene mutations is present in about one-fifth of the population."

During the study, researchers investigated the effects when both the FTO gene and the D2 receptor gene are mutated. Rodents with altered FTO genes were found to consume more food as a result of elevated dopamine signaling in the brain.

The team also examined several earlier studies including the Tübingen Family Study and the Malmo Diet and Cancer Study, and found 20 percent of the participants carried both mutations, suggesting the mutations observed in the rodents have a similar effect on humans. The research team concluded the effects of a mutated FTO gene depend on the number of dopamine D2 receptors.

Diabetes is a condition characterized by the body's inability to properly process food into energy. It can also lead to other severe health effects including heart disease, kidney failure, and blindness.