Scientists Pinpoint Gene That Turns Carbohydrates Into Fat
U.S. researchers have found new clues about how the body metabolizes carbohydrates and how they contribute to obesity, after discovering a gene responsible for turning a plate of pasta into fat, Reuters reported.
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley reported that the gene, called DNA-PK (DNA-dependent Protein Kinase), appears to regulate the process in the liver that turns carbohydrates into fat.
DNA-PK has been heavily researched because it helps repair breaks in the DNA.
Researchers have used suppression of DNA-PK as a technique to enhance the ability of cancer treatments to kill tumor cells.
However, the university researchers were surprised at its role in fat synthesis.
Roger Wong, a graduate student who worked on the study, said in a statement that hopes are the research would one day help people eat bread, pasta and rice and not worry about getting fat.
The study reported on Thursday in the journal Cell showed that when mice were bred with a disabled version of the gene, they stayed slim even when fed the equivalent of an all-you-can-eat pasta buffet.
Wong said the DNA-PK disabled mice were leaner and had 40 percent less body fat compared with a control group of normal mice because of their deficiency in turning carbs into fat.
Mice without the gene gained no fat when they ate high-carb food and they had lower levels of blood cholesterol, which can reduce the risk of heart disease.
The researchers believe it may serve as a potential target for drugs to prevent obesity, considering humans have the same gene.
"The best way to control your body weight is to eat a well-balanced diet and limit your caloric intake," said Wong.
"We hope that this research will one day help people eat bread, pasta and rice and not worry about getting fat."
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