US Researchers find gene that turns carbs into fat

U.S. researchers have found a gene responsible for turning a plate of pasta into fat, offering a new insight into how the body metabolizes carbohydrates and how they contribute to obesity.

The gene, called DNA-PK, appears to regulate the process in the liver that turns carbohydrates into fat, the University of California research team reported on Thursday in the journal Cell.

Roger Wong, a graduate student who worked on the study, expressed the use of the research; “We hope that this research will one day help people eat bread, pasta and rice and not worry about getting fat.”

When they bred mice with a disabled version of this gene, the mice stayed slim even when fed the equivalent of an all-you-can-eat pasta buffet.

“The DNA-PK disabled mice were leaner and had 40 percent less body fat compared with a control group of normal mice because of their deficiency in turning carbs into fat,” Wong said.

He said the mice who lacked this gene did not get fat when they ate high-carb food and they had lower levels of blood cholesterol, which can reduce the risk of heart disease.

Since humans have the same gene, the team thinks it may serve as a potential target for drugs to prevent obesity.

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