Genetic Landscape of Obesity: Interplay Between Genetics, Environment and Lifestyle - A Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31580/pjmls.v8iSp3.3477Keywords:
BMI, Gut microbiome, GWAS, Melanocortin 4 receptor gene, NGSAbstract
Obesity is a complex and multifactorial disorder with both environmental and genetic factors. Although such as diet and physical activity are important lifestyle factors in the etiology of obesity, there is growing evidence that hereditary predisposition is a major cause for the susceptibility to excess weight gain. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have implicated numerous genetic variants that are linked to obesity, including those that are involved in fat storage, energy metabolism, and appetite regulation. Of these, variants of genes such as FTO (fat mass and obesity-associated gene) and MC4R (melanocortin 4 receptor gene) have been strongly associated with elevated body mass index (BMI) and obesity risk. In addition to single-gene effects, obesity is a polygenic disorder, where multiple genes interact with each other and with environmental determinants to determine obesity outcomes. DNA methylation and histone modification are Epigenetic marks that can also modulate gene expression in response to diet, exercise, and early life exposures. It affect obesity risk. Recent technological advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) and multi-omics have also provided more insight into how genetic and epigenetic obesity determinants function. Most importantly, the gut microbiome has also emerged as an important determinant, with studies indicating that host genetics can modulate the composition of the microbiota, which in turn affects metabolism and energy balance. Current evidences of genomic and genetic studies shows that obesity is affected by several genes involved in appetite regulation, energy metabolism, hormonal control and environmental factors. These discoveries demonstrate the genetic, lifestyle and epigenetic factors involved in obesity and it also explain the concept of personalized patient care.
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