AsianScientist (Apr. 9, 2013) – An international team of researchers has identified 11 new genes associated with human body measurements like height and weight.
In their study, published online in Nature Genetics, the researchers analyzed data from dozens of studies that looked at how genes affect traits related to the physical aspects of the human body, also known as anthropometric traits.
The collaboration, which included more than 300 researchers worldwide, involved the compilation and analysis of both body measurements and genomic-wide data from more than 260,000 individuals of European ancestry.
Working as part of the Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits (GIANT) consortium, the researchers studied the contributions of genes to anthropometric traits such as body mass index, height, and hip-to-waist ratio, as well as different classes of clinical obesity.
Through this genome-wide analysis, they found four new genes that influenced height and seven new genes associated with obesity.
Although some genes are already known to affect height and weight, the contribution of each gene towards particular anthropometric traits is small.
Therefore, while the newly discovered genes represented further pieces in the puzzle, the researchers say that many more genes that influence height and weight remain to be discovered.
The article can be found at: Berndt et al. (2013) Genome-wide Meta-analysis Identifies 11 New Loci For Anthropometric Traits And Provides Insights Into Genetic Architecture.
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Source: UWA.
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