Million-Person Study Finds a Rare Gene Variant That Slashes the Risk of Diabetes and Heart Disease

Rare Variants in One Gene May Help The Body Burn Fat Instead of Storing It

What if some people were born with a metabolic setting that made them healthier by keeping fat out of their liver and blood, lowering blood sugar, and preventing type 2 diabetes? It could help them avoid many health problems.  In a study of more than one million people across three continents, published in Nature, researchers identified rare mutations in one gene that appear to offer remarkable protection against diabetes, heart disease, and oth…

Million-Person Study Finds a Rare Gene Variant That Slashes the Risk of Diabetes and Heart Disease

The discovery could lead to treatments and demonstrates the power of efforts to unearth rare, beneficial genes in large populations. “Burn fat, build muscle.” It’s a familiar workout slogan, but the benefits go far beyond aesthetics. Having less belly fat and more muscle guards against heart attacks, Type 2 diabetes, and a host of other metabolic diseases. Some people may have a genetic edge. A massive study of over one million people across thr…

FNIP1 variants are associated with favourable metabolism in 1 million humans

Altered energy metabolism is a shared driver across cardiometabolic diseases-the leading cause of death globally1. Energy metabolism varies between individuals and is partly heritable2-9. Here, to investigate the genetic basis of energy metabolism, we perform an exome-sequencin …