Environment and Genes Influences BMI
Environmental conditions, as well as our genetic makeup, influence our Body Mass Index (BMI), University of Queensland researchers have discovered.
A team of scientists led by Huanwei Wang and Professor Jian Yang from the University of Queensland‘s Institute for Molecular Bioscience found the genetic effects that influence human height are very stable from one environment to another. The study could help determine whether, for any particular traits, the impact of a genetic variation is influenced by environmental factors.
Professor Yang said that human traits, such as height or BMI, are complex because they are influenced by various genetic factors, as well as environmental factors. The relation between genetic factors and the environmental conditions affecting these traits have been challenging to find out. A DNA difference could change a character, but is the effect stable across different environments? The researchers have been trying to answer how Environment and Genes Influences BMI.
For instance, there is a genetic variation known to influence lung function, and the role of this genetic variation is altered significantly by smoking Professor Yang added. The link between smoking and lung function is well-known to the scientists, but its effect due to change in environmental
factors is less known to the researchers.Environment and Genes Influences BMI- The Study Approach
In human populations, it’s challenging to measure all possible environmental factors to which a person has been exposed, so the researchers decided to take a different approach.
Using data from more than 300,000 people with a known height and BMI, including many other complex traits, the researchers searched for genetic variations associated with the variability of each of those traits.
They found that BMI could differ significantly even for individuals with the same genetic variation, but this wasn’t the case for genetic changes associated with height.
Professor Yang said that the scientists found a large number of genetic factors for height, but their effects were not found to be sensitive to environmental factors. While BMI and few other obesity-related traits seemed to be much more sensitive to the external environmental factors. Scientists found that genes and environmental factors are two independent factors influencing height.
This study will further be useful to scientists to understand why a genetic effect at a particular gene locus is sensitive to the environment. Understanding the underlying mechanism will be highly crucial in medical research.
The study shed new light on the interaction between genomes and the environment when it comes to BMI and height. Professor Yang said the approach could be used widely in scientific research.
