Latest news with #UniversityofCopenhagen
Powys County Times
2 days ago
- Health
- Powys County Times
New tool can identify children who are likely to become obese in adulthood
A tool which can measure a child's risk of becoming obese in later life has been created by scientists. It is hoped that the new resource will one day mean that those at highest risk will get targeted support to prevent them from becoming obese in the first place. The tool, which assesses a person's genetic risk of obesity, works twice as well as any other obesity risk predictor, academics said. As well as identifying children at risk of obesity, it can also predict how well obese adults will respond to targeted weight loss programmes. Academics used detail on genetic variations from more than five million people to create a tool called a polygenic risk score, which analyses people's genetics to work out their risk of developing obesity. The tool could explain 17.6% of variation in body mass index score (BMI) from people in the UK, they found. Researchers, led by academics at the universities of Copenhagen and Bristol, tested whether the risk score was associated with obesity using datasets of the physical and genetic characteristics of more than 500,000 people. This included checking the tool on people taking part in the 'Children of the 90s' study – a long-term study in Bristol tracking families as children age. They found that it could successfully predict weight gain during childhood – from the age of just two and a half – through to adolescence. 'Overall, these data show that polygenic scores have the potential to improve obesity prediction, particularly when implemented early in life,' the authors wrote in the journal, Nature Medicine. Lead author of the research, assistant professor Roelof Smit from the University of Copenhagen, said: 'What makes the score so powerful is the consistency of associations between the genetic score and body mass index before the age of five and through to adulthood – timing that starts well before other risk factors start to shape their weight later in childhood. 'Intervening at this point could theoretically make a huge impact.' He told the PA news agency that BMI is not a good predictor for a child's obesity risk in later life but the genetic predictor can offer insight into the risk from early years. #BetterHealth offers a range of free NHS apps to help people eat better and get active, including the NHS Weight Loss Plan app. Data shows it can help people lose 5.8kg on average over just 12 weeks. Find out more: — NHS London (@NHSEnglandLDN) July 25, 2023 'Essentially it's fixed at conception already very early in life, you're able to essentially quantify what someone's innate predisposition is for BMI,' he said. 'So, being able to say something about someone's innate biology for obesity risk.' Meanwhile, the research team also looked at people taking part in 'intensive lifestyle intervention' programmes. People with a higher risk score lost more weight, but were also more likely to regain it. Prof Smit added: 'There is a huge amount of variation in how people respond to these interventions. 'What we observed was the higher someone's score was, the more they tended to respond to the intervention – people who had a higher score tended to lose more weight in the first year. 'And we also saw that people who had the higher scores tended to gain more weight.' Dr Kaitlin Wade, associate professor in epidemiology at the University of Bristol and second author on the paper, said: 'Obesity is a major public health issue, with many factors contributing to its development, including genetics, environment, lifestyle and behaviour. 'These factors likely vary across a person's life, and we believe that some of these originate in childhood. 'We were delighted to contribute data from the Children of the 90s study to this exceptional and insightful research into the genetic architecture of obesity. 'We hope this work will contribute to detecting individuals at high risk of developing obesity at an earlier age, which could have a vast clinical and public health impact in the future.' In 2022, some 64% of adults in England were estimated to be overweight or living with obesity. Last week, MPs on the Health and Social Care Committee launched a review into how the Government is tackling the nation's obesity epidemic. It comes after ministers pledged to 'launch a moonshot to end the obesity epidemic' in the one-year plan to improve the health of the nation.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
A genetic test could predict the odds of obesity, allowing for early interventions
A genetic test may one day predict a child's risk of obesity in adulthood, paving the way for early interventions. Certain genetic variants can affect how a person's body stores fat or make them more prone to overeating. Genetic variation can also predict how well a person will respond to different weight loss drugs. In a study published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine, more than 600 researchers from around the world worked together to compile genetic data from more than 5 million people — the largest and most diverse genetic dataset to date. They also used genetic data from 23andMe. From the dataset, the researchers were able to create what's known as a polygenic risk score, which takes into account which genetic variants a person has that have been linked to a higher BMI in adulthood. The score, the researchers said, could be used to predict a person's risk of obesity as an adult — before they even turn 5. 'Childhood is the best time to intervene,' said study co-author Ruth Loos, a professor at the University of Copenhagen's Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research. (Research conducted at the center is not influenced by drugmaker Novo Nordisk, though some of the study authors had ties to pharmaceutical companies that make weight loss drugs.) The findings come as obesity is rising around the world. Rates of obesity in adults have more than doubled globally since 1990, and adolescent rates have quadrupled, according to the World Health Organization. About 16% of adults worldwide have obesity and the situation is worse in the United States, where more than 40% of adults have obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics show. Twice as effective The new test is not the first that predicts a person's risk of obesity, but Loos and her team showed it was about twice as effective as the method doctors currently use to assess their patients. That polygenetic score can account for about 8.5% of a person's risk for having a high BMI as an adult. The new score increased that to about 17.6%, at least in people with European ancestry. 'That's a pretty powerful risk indicator for obesity, but it still leaves open a lot that is unknown,' said Dr. Roy Kim, a pediatric endocrinologist at Cleveland Clinic Children's who was not involved with the research. Based on this score, more than 80% of a person's risk for obesity can be explained by other factors, such as where they live, what kinds of foods they have access to, and how much they exercise. The test was not nearly as effective in predicting obesity risk in non-Europeans. It explained about 16% of the risk for having a high BMI in East Asian Americans, but just 2.2% in rural Ugandans. About 70% of people whose data was included in the study were of predominantly European ancestry. About 14% were Hispanic and typically had a mix of ancestries. About 8% were of predominantly East Asian descent and just under 5% were of predominantly African ancestry. These samples were predominantly from African American people, who largely had mixed ancestry. Just 1.5% were of predominantly South Asian ancestry. Loos said the new score is a big step forward, but that it's still a prototype. The next step is to collect more — and more diverse — data on people with African ancestry in particular to improve how well the score works for everyone, not just white people. She said the score could offer one indicator — what high blood pressure is to heart disease, for example — that could help predict a person's risk of developing obesity. 'Obesity is not only about genetics, so genetics alone can never accurately predict obesity,' Loos said. 'For the general obesity that we see all over the world, we need other factors such as lifestyle that need to be part of the predictions.' Genetics play a bigger role in severe obesity, meaning a BMI of more than 40, she added. Still, identifying a person's genetic risk early on in childhood and intervening early with lifestyle coaching could make a big difference, she said. Research has shown that about 55% of children with obesity go on to have obesity in adolescence, and that about 80% of those individuals will have obesity in adulthood. 'Behavioral things are really important,' Kim said. 'Their environment, their access to healthy food, exercise opportunities, even their knowledge about healthy foods all affect a person's obesity risk.' How important are genetics, really? Although studies in identical twins have found that genetics can account for as much as 80% of the reason a person has obesity, lifestyle factors still play a huge role, Kim said. 'Even with the same genetic makeup, people can have different body types,' he said. 'From a very young age in my practice, we educate patients about the importance of eating protein-rich foods, a lot of fruits and vegetables and not too many refined carbs.' Dr. Juliana Simonetti, co-director of the Comprehensive Weight Management Program at the University of Utah, has been using genetic testing in her adult patients for about five years. She said understanding a person's genes can help doctors better treat weight gain. 'Obesity is not homogeneous. We have different kinds and different presentations,' said Simonetti, who wasn't involved with the new study. Simonetti uses a person's genes to determine if a patient struggles with satiety, or feeling full. 'They eat but do not feel full,' Simonetti said, adding that this is a disorder caused by genetic mutations affecting certain pathways in the body. People who have these mutations 'tend to have higher weight,' she said. But such mutations do not tell the whole genetic story of obesity, Simonetti said. The genes that a person inherits from either parent, even if they are not mutations, also determine how a person's body stores weight or uses energy. Both can play a big role in obesity risk. Genetic testing is also starting to be able to determine how well certain weight loss drugs will work for a person, Simonetti said, but she added this is just the beginning. 'We are talking about three out of 80 mutations that we can treat,' she said. 'We are getting better, and the more data we have, I'm hopeful that we are going to do a better job in being more precise in understanding treatment responses.' This article was originally published on Solve the daily Crossword
South Wales Guardian
2 days ago
- Health
- South Wales Guardian
New tool can identify children who are likely to become obese in adulthood
It is hoped that the new resource will one day mean that those at highest risk will get targeted support to prevent them from becoming obese in the first place. The tool, which assesses a person's genetic risk of obesity, works twice as well as any other obesity risk predictor, academics said. As well as identifying children at risk of obesity, it can also predict how well obese adults will respond to targeted weight loss programmes. Academics used detail on genetic variations from more than five million people to create a tool called a polygenic risk score, which analyses people's genetics to work out their risk of developing obesity. The tool could explain 17.6% of variation in body mass index score (BMI) from people in the UK, they found. Researchers, led by academics at the universities of Copenhagen and Bristol, tested whether the risk score was associated with obesity using datasets of the physical and genetic characteristics of more than 500,000 people. This included checking the tool on people taking part in the 'Children of the 90s' study – a long-term study in Bristol tracking families as children age. They found that it could successfully predict weight gain during childhood – from the age of just two and a half – through to adolescence. 'Overall, these data show that polygenic scores have the potential to improve obesity prediction, particularly when implemented early in life,' the authors wrote in the journal, Nature Medicine. Lead author of the research, assistant professor Roelof Smit from the University of Copenhagen, said: 'What makes the score so powerful is the consistency of associations between the genetic score and body mass index before the age of five and through to adulthood – timing that starts well before other risk factors start to shape their weight later in childhood. 'Intervening at this point could theoretically make a huge impact.' He told the PA news agency that BMI is not a good predictor for a child's obesity risk in later life but the genetic predictor can offer insight into the risk from early years. #BetterHealth offers a range of free NHS apps to help people eat better and get active, including the NHS Weight Loss Plan app. Data shows it can help people lose 5.8kg on average over just 12 weeks. Find out more: — NHS London (@NHSEnglandLDN) July 25, 2023 'Essentially it's fixed at conception already very early in life, you're able to essentially quantify what someone's innate predisposition is for BMI,' he said. 'So, being able to say something about someone's innate biology for obesity risk.' Meanwhile, the research team also looked at people taking part in 'intensive lifestyle intervention' programmes. People with a higher risk score lost more weight, but were also more likely to regain it. Prof Smit added: 'There is a huge amount of variation in how people respond to these interventions. 'What we observed was the higher someone's score was, the more they tended to respond to the intervention – people who had a higher score tended to lose more weight in the first year. 'And we also saw that people who had the higher scores tended to gain more weight.' Dr Kaitlin Wade, associate professor in epidemiology at the University of Bristol and second author on the paper, said: 'Obesity is a major public health issue, with many factors contributing to its development, including genetics, environment, lifestyle and behaviour. 'These factors likely vary across a person's life, and we believe that some of these originate in childhood. 'We were delighted to contribute data from the Children of the 90s study to this exceptional and insightful research into the genetic architecture of obesity. 'We hope this work will contribute to detecting individuals at high risk of developing obesity at an earlier age, which could have a vast clinical and public health impact in the future.' In 2022, some 64% of adults in England were estimated to be overweight or living with obesity. Last week, MPs on the Health and Social Care Committee launched a review into how the Government is tackling the nation's obesity epidemic. It comes after ministers pledged to 'launch a moonshot to end the obesity epidemic' in the one-year plan to improve the health of the nation.
North Wales Chronicle
2 days ago
- Health
- North Wales Chronicle
New tool can identify children who are likely to become obese in adulthood
It is hoped that the new resource will one day mean that those at highest risk will get targeted support to prevent them from becoming obese in the first place. The tool, which assesses a person's genetic risk of obesity, works twice as well as any other obesity risk predictor, academics said. As well as identifying children at risk of obesity, it can also predict how well obese adults will respond to targeted weight loss programmes. Academics used detail on genetic variations from more than five million people to create a tool called a polygenic risk score, which analyses people's genetics to work out their risk of developing obesity. The tool could explain 17.6% of variation in body mass index score (BMI) from people in the UK, they found. Researchers, led by academics at the universities of Copenhagen and Bristol, tested whether the risk score was associated with obesity using datasets of the physical and genetic characteristics of more than 500,000 people. This included checking the tool on people taking part in the 'Children of the 90s' study – a long-term study in Bristol tracking families as children age. They found that it could successfully predict weight gain during childhood – from the age of just two and a half – through to adolescence. 'Overall, these data show that polygenic scores have the potential to improve obesity prediction, particularly when implemented early in life,' the authors wrote in the journal, Nature Medicine. Lead author of the research, assistant professor Roelof Smit from the University of Copenhagen, said: 'What makes the score so powerful is the consistency of associations between the genetic score and body mass index before the age of five and through to adulthood – timing that starts well before other risk factors start to shape their weight later in childhood. 'Intervening at this point could theoretically make a huge impact.' He told the PA news agency that BMI is not a good predictor for a child's obesity risk in later life but the genetic predictor can offer insight into the risk from early years. #BetterHealth offers a range of free NHS apps to help people eat better and get active, including the NHS Weight Loss Plan app. Data shows it can help people lose 5.8kg on average over just 12 weeks. Find out more: — NHS London (@NHSEnglandLDN) July 25, 2023 'Essentially it's fixed at conception already very early in life, you're able to essentially quantify what someone's innate predisposition is for BMI,' he said. 'So, being able to say something about someone's innate biology for obesity risk.' Meanwhile, the research team also looked at people taking part in 'intensive lifestyle intervention' programmes. People with a higher risk score lost more weight, but were also more likely to regain it. Prof Smit added: 'There is a huge amount of variation in how people respond to these interventions. 'What we observed was the higher someone's score was, the more they tended to respond to the intervention – people who had a higher score tended to lose more weight in the first year. 'And we also saw that people who had the higher scores tended to gain more weight.' Dr Kaitlin Wade, associate professor in epidemiology at the University of Bristol and second author on the paper, said: 'Obesity is a major public health issue, with many factors contributing to its development, including genetics, environment, lifestyle and behaviour. 'These factors likely vary across a person's life, and we believe that some of these originate in childhood. 'We were delighted to contribute data from the Children of the 90s study to this exceptional and insightful research into the genetic architecture of obesity. 'We hope this work will contribute to detecting individuals at high risk of developing obesity at an earlier age, which could have a vast clinical and public health impact in the future.' In 2022, some 64% of adults in England were estimated to be overweight or living with obesity. Last week, MPs on the Health and Social Care Committee launched a review into how the Government is tackling the nation's obesity epidemic. It comes after ministers pledged to 'launch a moonshot to end the obesity epidemic' in the one-year plan to improve the health of the nation.
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
New tool can identify children who are likely to become obese in adulthood
The tool, which assesses a person's genetic risk of obesity, works twice as well as any other obesity risk predictor, academics said. As well as identifying children at risk of obesity, it can also predict how well obese adults will respond to targeted weight loss programmes. Academics used detail on genetic variations from more than five million people to create a tool called a polygenic risk score, which analyses people's genetics to work out their risk of developing obesity. The tool could explain 17.6% of variation in body mass index score (BMI) from people in the UK, they found. Researchers, led by academics at the universities of Copenhagen and Bristol, tested whether the risk score was associated with obesity using datasets of the physical and genetic characteristics of more than 500,000 people. This included checking the tool on people taking part in the 'Children of the 90s' study – a long-term study in Bristol tracking families as children age. They found that it could successfully predict weight gain during childhood – from the age of just two and a half – through to adolescence. 'Overall, these data show that polygenic scores have the potential to improve obesity prediction, particularly when implemented early in life,' the authors wrote in the journal, Nature Medicine. Lead author of the research, assistant professor Roelof Smit from the University of Copenhagen, said: 'What makes the score so powerful is the consistency of associations between the genetic score and body mass index before the age of five and through to adulthood – timing that starts well before other risk factors start to shape their weight later in childhood. 'Intervening at this point could theoretically make a huge impact.' He told the PA news agency that BMI is not a good predictor for a child's obesity risk in later life but the genetic predictor can offer insight into the risk from early years. #BetterHealth offers a range of free NHS apps to help people eat better and get active, including the NHS Weight Loss Plan app. Data shows it can help people lose 5.8kg on average over just 12 weeks. Find out more: — NHS London (@NHSEnglandLDN) July 25, 2023 'Essentially it's fixed at conception already very early in life, you're able to essentially quantify what someone's innate predisposition is for BMI,' he said. 'So, being able to say something about someone's innate biology for obesity risk.' Meanwhile, the research team also looked at people taking part in 'intensive lifestyle intervention' programmes. People with a higher risk score lost more weight, but were also more likely to regain it. Prof Smit added: 'There is a huge amount of variation in how people respond to these interventions. 'What we observed was the higher someone's score was, the more they tended to respond to the intervention – people who had a higher score tended to lose more weight in the first year. 'And we also saw that people who had the higher scores tended to gain more weight.' Dr Kaitlin Wade, associate professor in epidemiology at the University of Bristol and second author on the paper, said: 'Obesity is a major public health issue, with many factors contributing to its development, including genetics, environment, lifestyle and behaviour. 'These factors likely vary across a person's life, and we believe that some of these originate in childhood. 'We were delighted to contribute data from the Children of the 90s study to this exceptional and insightful research into the genetic architecture of obesity. 'We hope this work will contribute to detecting individuals at high risk of developing obesity at an earlier age, which could have a vast clinical and public health impact in the future.' In 2022, some 64% of adults in England were estimated to be overweight or living with obesity. Last week, MPs on the Health and Social Care Committee launched a review into how the Government is tackling the nation's obesity epidemic. It comes after ministers pledged to 'launch a moonshot to end the obesity epidemic' in the one-year plan to improve the health of the nation.
