A study has found those with the ‘obesity gene’ can lose weight through diet, exercise and medications just as easily as those who do not have the gene.

According to the study published this week by the British Medical Journal (BMJ), those with the obesity gene, also known as the FTO gene, may be more prone to obesity, but the gene should not interfere with weight loss.

The finding was discovered by an international team of researchers who studied the relationship between the FTO gene and weight loss using data from almost 10, 000 participants in eight randomised control trials.

At the start of the study, participants with the FTO gene were slightly heavier than those without the gene. The researchers however found no relation between FTO and the ability to lose weight. Changes in body mass index, body weight, and waist circumference by FTO genotype did not differ by intervention type, intervention length, ethnicity, sample size, sex, or baseline body mass index and age category.

Although the researchers acknowledged that there were several limitations in their analysis, they maintain that it is still an important finding for the development of effective weight loss interventions.

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