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According to NY City Post, a new study has revealed that a variation found in BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor) can affect the problem of obesity amongst children and adults. This study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, suggests that lower level of BDNF gene, that is uncommon in people, can lead to obesity as it regulates the protein that regulates appetite in the brain. This study will explain how changing the genetics in BDNF will also influence the obesity as well as the protein level. Researchers claim that by boosting the BDNF levels may help in decreasing the risk of obesity in adults and children.

The researchers used the samples of brain tissue for careful investigation and were able to identify a gene segment whose presence intermingled with a protein called hnRNP D0B and also caused the reduced levels of BDNF protein in the hypothalamus. It is this portion of the brain that controls the intake of food and manipulates hunger. To prove the theory, the researchers propounded by careful study, the experts scrutinized more than 31000 men and women, collecting their medical data through surveys such as HANDLS, PAGE and Viva La Familia, as per UPI.

Obesity is becoming one of the largest threats to public health in US as well as many other nations around the world. Obesity leads to conditions such as heart attack, stroke and Type 2 diabetes. Scientists also revealed that the most exposed ethnic group to gene modification are Hispanics and the Blacks. It is mainly due to the genetic factors that the person becomes predisposed to obesity. The body's main mechanism for storing energy is cells. Sometimes, genes affect the way energy is stored, which is then converted to fat, reports Financial Spots.