The study, which involved 5,000 subjects suffering from diabetes, showed that variations of a gene called FTO are associated with increased body mass index (BMI).

The results showed that people who have a single copy of the FTO variation, have a thirty percent higher risk to become overweight, compared to those without the FTO variation. People who have two copies of the FTO gene are almost seven pounds heavier, and have a seventy percent higher risk of obesity than people without any copies of that gene. Researchers say that among white Europeans, almost one of six people carry two copies of the FTO gene. To read the rest of this article, go to , an online weight loss community featuring calorie counter, carbs counter, BMI calculator, diet planner, workout planner and other weight loss tools.

(c) 2007. All rights reserved.