Excess abdominal fat is an indicator for heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer and a person’s measure of such belly fat is reflected in the ratio of waist circumference to hip circumference.
Some estimate that genetics account for a broad range, 30 to 60 percent, of this waist-to-hip ratio (WHR).
Kira Taylor, Ph.D., M.S., assistant professor in the University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences, and colleagues have listed five new genes they say are associated with increased WHR. They did an analysis of more than 57,000 people of European descent and searched for genes that increase risk of high waist-to-hip ratio, independent of overall obesity. They investigated over 50,000 genetic variants in 2,000 genes thought to be involved in cardiovascular or metabolic traits.
Read the full, original story: New Genes Linked To Abdominal Fat
