Key Summary
- A new DNA test predicts obesity risk in children using a polygenic risk score
- It can spot risk before age five, allowing early diet and exercise plans
- The tool works better for European ancestry but is still a big step forward
Scientists have developed a test could predict the chances of obesity during adulthood, among children and adolescents.
The test is based on examining DNA from the blood sample of the children.
Obesity is a rapidly growing global health concerns caused by increased fat accumulation. It can lead to serious health issues such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.
Experts confirm that slight variations in people’s genetics could determine their tendency to develop such disorders.
The new tool will contribute to design preventive strategies such as diet and exercise for children, from a young age.
The research that led to this test comes from consumer genetics and research company 23andMe, utilising the inputs of more than 600 scientists and 500 institutions around the world.
They developed the system of “polygenic risk score” by studying various genetic make-up that recognises the risk of obesity in children effectively.
Researchers used genetic data from over five million people to develop the score, then tested it on physical and genetic data from over 500,000 individuals.
“What makes the score so powerful is its ability to predict, before the age of five, whether a child is likely to develop obesity in adulthood, well before other risk factors start to shape their weight later in childhood. Intervening at this point can have a huge impact,” said Roelof Smit, assistant professor at University of Copenhagen and lead author in Nature Medicine journal.
Recent from NHS statistics shows that nearly 65 per cent of England’s adults over 18 years are obese with one in eight children from two to ten years of age are also obese.
Similar to the UK, the US has a worrying obesity data.
Around two out five adults and one in five children in the US are obese.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US also stresses that certain groups such as non-Hispanic Black adults and those with lower education levels are more affected than others.
However, the test has flaws that are yet to be perfected.
Individuals with high risk of obesity gain weight quickly, even after positive response to the interventions.
Also, its efficiency is reflected better on people with European ancestry rather than African ancestry.
Professor Ruth Loos from CBMR at the University of Copenhagen commented that "this new polygenic score is a dramatic improvement in predictive power and a leap forward in the genetic prediction of obesity risk, which brings us much closer to clinically useful genetic testing."
