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Dr. Sanjay Gupta: No magic bullet for obesity
(CNN) -- People who are fighting the battle of the bulge may have a new weapon. A Utah company says it has discovered a gene that causes obesity in humans, and the firm says the gene can be controlled. CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta discussed Wednesday with anchor Paula Zahn whether this development may be the answer for people trying to slim down. GUPTA: First of all, 61 percent of adults in America were overweight, 31 percent were obese in 2000. [It's a] real problem. We also know that if both of your parents were obese, you have a 25 to 30 percent chance yourself of becoming obese. That certainly argues for a genetic component to obesity as well. That is certainly what a company named Myriad Genetics was looking at. This is a company out of Salt Lake City that has isolated what they're calling the HOB1 gene. That stands for human obesity gene. This is a gene that has previously been isolated in animals, but this is the first time it's actually been isolated in a human model. What they're saying about the gene is that they don't know exactly what the mechanism is, but this particular gene does appear to cause obesity. It is not the only gene and is not the only thing that causes obesity, but this particular gene does appear to have a link with obesity. ZAHN: What is the significance then of isolating this gene? GUPTA: Genetic therapy is something that has a lot of people talking and excited. ... Ever since we've been able to map the human genome, you may find particular mutations in any given individual's genome that might actually make them more likely to develop something. We heard this before with what was known as the breast cancer gene. They were able to say, "Listen, if you have this particular gene, you have a higher likelihood of developing breast cancer." But here lies the problem. As we saw with the breast cancer gene, even though we find out which women are actually more likely to develop breast cancer, developing adequate prevention or treatment programs any different than what we already have is a problem. It's really unclear exactly what this means as of yet. The goal is to actually take the particular knowledge about this gene and translate that into some prevention or treatment. ZAHN: Do you think there will ever be a pill that can effectively battle obesity? GUPTA: I think probably no. Let's take a look at the medications in the past. Meridia, a medication -- one of the current treatments of obesity -- actually makes you feel more full through brain chemistry. Xenical, another one, actually inhibits the absorption of fat in your body, so even though you're eating the fat, it actually isn't getting absorbed. Both of those pills reduce your weight by about 7 to 10 pounds more than you otherwise would have if you just followed a low-calorie diet and took a placebo pill, a sugar pill. So not really dramatic there. The problem is that it's not just a genetic problem, it's not just a behavorial problem, it's a combination of risk factors. The genetics just being one component of this -- sex, age, cigarette smoking, pregnancy, medications, illnesses, low thyroid function. I put all those up there just to show you that there are so many things that possibly cause obesity. When asked if a single pill could possibly treat obesity, probably not. Is there a genetic component that could be addressed? Probably yes. And that will be a few years down the road still.
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