OBESITY: What if the bad fat came from the father?

 According to this study from the University of Southern Denmark, we inherit dangerous white fat from dad and good “brown” fat from mom. A 'breakthrough' discovery in obesity research stemming from extensive studies that suggest that genes from our father lead to the development of white fat responsible for metabolic disease and genes from our mother mainly lead to the development of brown adipose tissue , with a protective effect against obesity.

 

Obesity results from chronic imbalances between calorie intake and energy expenditure that lead to the development of cardiometabolic complications, atherosclerosis and type 2 diabetes. Unlike white adipose tissue which stores fat, brown adipose tissue promotes energy “catabolism” by converting lipids and glucose into thermogenesis. In recent years, many teams are working on the track of brown fat, a promising avenue for weight loss and in the fight against obesity.  

 

H19, a key gene with monoallelic expression : Here, following extensive in vivo and in vitro studies, the team identifies a new function of the H19 gene. This gene appears to have a unique protective effect on the development of overweight and could therefore prevent the development of diseases associated with overweight such as diabetes, overweight and cardiovascular disease. However, H19 is a gene with monoallelic expression: it belongs to at least 1% of genes that we inherit exclusively from our mother or our father. In mouse models, researchers find that the H19 gene exerts a form of genetic control in brown fat cells. Overexpression of the H19 gene in mice protects against obesity and insulin resistance. Finally,

 

Genes from the father and white fat, genes from the mother and brown fat: Then the researchers show that the genes from our father lead to the development of white fatty tissue, and the genes from our mother mainly lead to the development of brown fatty tissue, protector against obesity. Thus, many “adipose” genes with paternal imprinting are absent from brown adipose tissue, and vice versa.  

The identification of this key H9 gene constitutes a new step towards the development of treatments for obesity.