Clues to extreme obesity in your ancestors’ DNA?

Obesity means having too much body fat. People who are very obese are more likely to have serious health problems. These include diabetes, heart disease, and dying early. Many things can cause obesity. Eating too much and not getting enough exercise are important causes. But our genes can also play a part. Mitochondria are tiny structures inside each cell of your body. They make the energy your cells need. These structures have their own set of genes. People have differences in these genes. Some of these differences are inherited as a set called a haplogroup. People with the same ancestry often have the same haplogroups. Researchers at Vanderbilt found a link between a certain haplogroup and being very obese. They will now use BioVU to confirm these findings. They will also look for links between haplogroups and gene changes linked to obesity.