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American Morning

Those Battling the Bulge May Have a New Weapon

Aired October 30, 2002 - 08:42   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Back to fighting the bulge. Those who are fighting that battle may have a new weapon. A Utah company says it has actually discovered a gene that causes obesity in humans, and the firm says it can be controlled. Is this the answer for people who are trying to slim down? Let's turn to our medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who joins us from Atlanta, with the very latest.
Good morning, doctor.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

I tell you, nice teases like that and I get sort of a throw caution to the wind and be the diligent doctor here, and be a little careful with this particular study. First of all, let me tell you what we're talking about here. First of all, we said the numbers so many times on your show, 61 percent of adults in America overweight, 31 percent were obese in 2000, real problem.

We also know that if both of your parents were obese, you have a 25 to 30 percent chance yourself of becoming obese. That certainly argues for a genetic component to obesity as well. In addition to that, we also know that if you can study the genetics of obesity, you can learn about what causes it, how to prevent it and maybe even how to treat it, exactly what you said, Paula.

That is certainly what a company named Myriad (ph) Genetics was looking at. This is a company out of Salt Lake City that has now isolated what they're calling the HOB-1 gene. That stands for human obesity gene. This is a gene that has previously been isolated in animals, but this is first time it's actually been isolated in a human model.

And basically, what they're saying about the gene, is that they don't know exactly what the mechanism is, but this particular gene does appear to cause obesity. It is not the only gene and is not the only thing that causes obesity, but this particular gene does appear to have a link with obesity, and that's sort of what the science is right now -- Paula.

ZAHN: What is the significance then of isolating this gene? What does it mean?

GUPTA: Genetic therapy is something that has a lot of people talking and excited, and we're hearing a lot about the fact, ever since we've been able to map the human genome, you may find particular mutations in any given individual's genome that might actually make them more likely to develop something. We heard this before with what was known as the BRACA-1 gene. It stands for breast cancer one gene. They were able to say, listen, if you have this particular gene, you have a higher likelihood of developing breast cancer.

But here lies the problem as well, with that information actually translating that into some effective treatment or prevention, that has been more problematic, as we saw with the BRACA-1 gene, even though we find out which women are actually more likely to develop breast cancer, actually developing adequate prevention or treatment programs any different than what we already have is a problem.

So to answer to your question, Paula, it's really unclear exactly what this means as of yet. The goal is to actually take the particular knowledge about this gene and translate that into some prevention or treatment.

ZAHN: Do you think there will ever be a pill that can effectively battle obesity?

GUPTA: That is the sort of Holy Grail of this. And to answer your question directly, I think probably no. There is not going to be a single pill that will be actually be able to do that.

Let's take a look at the medications in the past. Meridia, a medication -- one of the current treatments off obesity actually makes you feel more fuller through brain chemistry. Xenical, another one, actually inhibits the absorption of fat in your body, so even though you're eating the fat, it actually isn't getting absorbed. Both of those pills reduce your weight by about 7 to 10 pounds more than you otherwise would have if you just followed a low-calorie diet and took a placebo pill, a sugar pill. So not really dramatic there.

The problem, Paula, is that it's not just a genetic problem, it's not just a behavorial problem; it's a combination of risk factors. If you take a look at all the different risk factors that might potentially cause obesity, besides the things that we've talked about, genetics, you can also see diet and activity, psychological factors. The genetics just being one component of this, sex, age, cigarette smoking, pregnancy, medications, illnesses, low thyroid function. I put all those up there, Paula, just to show you that there are so many things that possibly cause obesity. When asked if a single pill could possibly treat obesity, probably not. Is there a genetic component that could be addressed? Probably yes. And that will be a few years down the road still.

ZAHN: You're hearing chorus of bummer, bummer, bummer. Too bad. I know it's a lot of work for folks who are battling all of these issues that cause their obesity, and we wish them luck as they continue their struggle.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired October 30, 2002 - 08:42   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Back to fighting the bulge. Those who are fighting that battle may have a new weapon. A Utah company says it has actually discovered a gene that causes obesity in humans, and the firm says it can be controlled. Is this the answer for people who are trying to slim down? Let's turn to our medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who joins us from Atlanta, with the very latest.
Good morning, doctor.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

I tell you, nice teases like that and I get sort of a throw caution to the wind and be the diligent doctor here, and be a little careful with this particular study. First of all, let me tell you what we're talking about here. First of all, we said the numbers so many times on your show, 61 percent of adults in America overweight, 31 percent were obese in 2000, real problem.

We also know that if both of your parents were obese, you have a 25 to 30 percent chance yourself of becoming obese. That certainly argues for a genetic component to obesity as well. In addition to that, we also know that if you can study the genetics of obesity, you can learn about what causes it, how to prevent it and maybe even how to treat it, exactly what you said, Paula.

That is certainly what a company named Myriad (ph) Genetics was looking at. This is a company out of Salt Lake City that has now isolated what they're calling the HOB-1 gene. That stands for human obesity gene. This is a gene that has previously been isolated in animals, but this is first time it's actually been isolated in a human model.

And basically, what they're saying about the gene, is that they don't know exactly what the mechanism is, but this particular gene does appear to cause obesity. It is not the only gene and is not the only thing that causes obesity, but this particular gene does appear to have a link with obesity, and that's sort of what the science is right now -- Paula.

ZAHN: What is the significance then of isolating this gene? What does it mean?

GUPTA: Genetic therapy is something that has a lot of people talking and excited, and we're hearing a lot about the fact, ever since we've been able to map the human genome, you may find particular mutations in any given individual's genome that might actually make them more likely to develop something. We heard this before with what was known as the BRACA-1 gene. It stands for breast cancer one gene. They were able to say, listen, if you have this particular gene, you have a higher likelihood of developing breast cancer.

But here lies the problem as well, with that information actually translating that into some effective treatment or prevention, that has been more problematic, as we saw with the BRACA-1 gene, even though we find out which women are actually more likely to develop breast cancer, actually developing adequate prevention or treatment programs any different than what we already have is a problem.

So to answer to your question, Paula, it's really unclear exactly what this means as of yet. The goal is to actually take the particular knowledge about this gene and translate that into some prevention or treatment.

ZAHN: Do you think there will ever be a pill that can effectively battle obesity?

GUPTA: That is the sort of Holy Grail of this. And to answer your question directly, I think probably no. There is not going to be a single pill that will be actually be able to do that.

Let's take a look at the medications in the past. Meridia, a medication -- one of the current treatments off obesity actually makes you feel more fuller through brain chemistry. Xenical, another one, actually inhibits the absorption of fat in your body, so even though you're eating the fat, it actually isn't getting absorbed. Both of those pills reduce your weight by about 7 to 10 pounds more than you otherwise would have if you just followed a low-calorie diet and took a placebo pill, a sugar pill. So not really dramatic there.

The problem, Paula, is that it's not just a genetic problem, it's not just a behavorial problem; it's a combination of risk factors. If you take a look at all the different risk factors that might potentially cause obesity, besides the things that we've talked about, genetics, you can also see diet and activity, psychological factors. The genetics just being one component of this, sex, age, cigarette smoking, pregnancy, medications, illnesses, low thyroid function. I put all those up there, Paula, just to show you that there are so many things that possibly cause obesity. When asked if a single pill could possibly treat obesity, probably not. Is there a genetic component that could be addressed? Probably yes. And that will be a few years down the road still.

ZAHN: You're hearing chorus of bummer, bummer, bummer. Too bad. I know it's a lot of work for folks who are battling all of these issues that cause their obesity, and we wish them luck as they continue their struggle.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com