Body shape is all down to genes, especially for women, British scientists have revealed.
Body shapes are determined by how fat is stored in the body — apple-shaped people have more fat around waists and pear-shaped people store more fat in thighs and b
uttocks. Body shapes also have some influence on health — apple-shape is associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease and pear-shape seems to offer some protection against diabetes and high blood pressure.
The two studies, published in the journal Nature Genetics, have revealed the biological processes involved in determining body fat distribution and obesity. The two studies were carried out by the Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits (Giant) consortium.
Researchers identified 18 new genetic regions that are associated with increased susceptibility to obesity and 13 new gene regions linked to body fat distribution.
“By finding genes that have an important role in influencing whether we are apple-shaped or pear-shaped, and the ways in which that differs between men and women, we hope to home in on the crucial underlying biological processes,” according to Dr Cecilia Lindgren, senior researcher on the study at the Wellcome Trust Centre.