Genetics of Obesity: What We Have Learned Over Decades of Research

Identification of ALK in Thinness

(2020) Michael Orthofer et al.   CELL

Genetic Causes of Severe Childhood Obesity: A Remarkably High Prevalence (≥49%) in an Inbred Population of Pakistan

(2020) Sadia Saeed et al.   DIABETES

DNA copy number and structural variation (CNV) contributions to adult and childhood obesity

(2020) Megan Phillips et al.   BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETY TRANSACTIONS

Identification of distinct transcriptome signatures of human adipose tissue from fifteen depots

(2020) Dorit Schleinitz et al.   EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS

Quantile-dependent heritability of computed tomography, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, anthropometric, and bioelectrical measures of adiposity

(2020) Paul T. Williams   INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBESITY

The role of polygenic susceptibility to obesity among carriers of pathogenic mutations in MC4R in the UK Biobank population

(2020) Nathalie Chami et al.   PLOS MEDICINE

Rare genetic forms of obesity: From gene to therapy

(2020) K Clément et al.   PHYSIOLOGY & BEHAVIOR

Genome-wide association study of body fat distribution identifies adiposity loci and sex-specific genetic effects

(2019) Mathias Rask-Andersen et al.   Nature Communications

Genetic architecture of human thinness compared to severe obesity

(2019) Fernando Riveros-McKay et al.   PLoS Genetics

Weight Loss, Remission of Comorbidities, and Quality of Life After Bariatric Surgery in Young Adult Patients

(2019) M. I. Cooiman et al.   OBESITY SURGERY

Protein-coding variants implicate novel genes related to lipid homeostasis contributing to body-fat distribution

(2019) Anne E. Justice et al.   NATURE GENETICS

Polygenic Prediction of Weight and Obesity Trajectories from Birth to Adulthood

(2019) Amit V. Khera et al.   CELL

Human Gain-of-Function MC4R Variants Show Signaling Bias and Protect against Obesity

(2019) Luca A. Lotta et al.   CELL

The melanocortin pathway and control of appetite-progress and therapeutic implications

(2019) Giulia Baldini et al.   JOURNAL OF ENDOCRINOLOGY

Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults

(2019)   NATURE

Genetic Determinants of Weight Loss After Bariatric Surgery

(2019) Martin Aasbrenn et al.   OBESITY SURGERY

DNA methylome profiling in identical twin pairs discordant for body mass index

(2019) Weilong Li et al.   INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBESITY

Socioeconomic inequalities in childhood-to-adulthood BMI tracking in three British birth cohorts

(2019) Tom Norris et al.   INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBESITY

Genetic predictors of weight loss in overweight and obese subjects

(2019) Itziar Lamiquiz-Moneo et al.   Scientific Reports

Lessons Learned from the POUNDS Lost Study: Genetic, Metabolic, and Behavioral Factors Affecting Changes in Body Weight, Body Composition, and Cardiometabolic Risk

(2019) George A. Bray et al.   Current Obesity Reports

The expression of genes in top obesity-associated loci is enriched in insula and substantia nigra brain regions involved in addiction and reward

(2019) Fatou K. Ndiaye et al.   INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBESITY

MicroRNAs in Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders

(2019) Jean-François Landrier et al.   Cells

Colocalization of GWAS and eQTL signals at loci with multiple signals identifies additional candidate genes for body fat distribution

(2019) Ying Wu et al.   HUMAN MOLECULAR GENETICS

Identification and functional validation of genetic variants in potential miRNA target sites of established BMI genes

(2019) Pankaj Kumar et al.   INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBESITY

Components of genetic associations across 2,138 phenotypes in the UK Biobank highlight adipocyte biology

(2019) Yosuke Tanigawa et al.   Nature Communications

Projected U.S. State-Level Prevalence of Adult Obesity and Severe Obesity

(2019) Zachary J. Ward et al.   NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE

The genetics of adiposity

(2018) Ruth JF Loos   CURRENT OPINION IN GENETICS & DEVELOPMENT

Melanocortin 4 Receptor Pathway Dysfunction in Obesity: Patient Stratification Aimed at MC4R Agonist Treatment

(2018) Kristin L Ayers et al.   JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY & METABOLISM

Evidence for a strong genetic influence on childhood adiposity despite the force of the obesogenic environment

(2018) Jane Wardle et al.   AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for height and body mass index in ∼700000 individuals of European ancestry

(2018) Loic Yengo et al.   HUMAN MOLECULAR GENETICS

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for body fat distribution in 694,649 individuals of European ancestry

(2018) Sara L Pulit et al.   HUMAN MOLECULAR GENETICS

Integrating genetic, transcriptional, and biological information provides insights into obesity

(2018) Lan Wang et al.   INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBESITY

Genetic background influences weight-loss trajectories on the mid-term after bariatric surgery

(2018) Laura Boswell et al.   INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBESITY

Genetics and epigenetics in obesity

(2018) Kerstin Rohde et al.   METABOLISM-CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL

Genetic Susceptibility for Childhood BMI has no Impact on Weight Loss Following Lifestyle Intervention in Danish Children

(2018) Mette Hollensted et al.   Obesity

Rare and low-frequency coding variants alter human adult height

(2017) Eirini Marouli et al.   NATURE

Protein-altering variants associated with body mass index implicate pathways that control energy intake and expenditure in obesity

(2017) Valérie Turcot et al.   NATURE GENETICS

Convergence between biological, behavioural and genetic determinants of obesity

(2017) Sujoy Ghosh et al.   NATURE REVIEWS GENETICS

Rare Variant Analysis of Human and Rodent Obesity Genes in Individuals with Severe Childhood Obesity

(2017) Audrey E. Hendricks et al.   Scientific Reports

Discovery and fine-mapping of adiposity loci using high density imputation of genome-wide association studies in individuals of African ancestry: African Ancestry Anthropometry Genetics Consortium

(2017) Maggie C. Y. Ng et al.   PLoS Genetics

Phenome-wide heritability analysis of the UK Biobank

(2017) Tian Ge et al.   PLoS Genetics

Contrasting the Genetic Architecture of 30 Complex Traits from Summary Association Data

(2016) Huwenbo Shi et al.   AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS

Numerous Genes in Loci Associated With Body Fat Distribution Are Linked to Adipose Function

(2016) Ingrid Dahlman et al.   DIABETES

An Empirical Comparison of Joint and Stratified Frameworks for Studying G × E Interactions: Systolic Blood Pressure and Smoking in the CHARGE Gene-Lifestyle Interactions Working Group

(2016) Yun Ju Sung et al.   GENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY

Tracking of body mass index from 7 to 69 years of age

(2016) J Aarestrup et al.   INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBESITY

Evidence for three genetic loci involved in both anorexia nervosa risk and variation of body mass index

(2016) A Hinney et al.   MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY

Epigenome-wide association study of body mass index and the adverse outcomes of adiposity

(2016) Simone Wahl et al.   NATURE

Decreased melanocortin-4 receptor function conferred by an infrequent variant at the human melanocortin receptor accessory protein 2 gene

(2016) Laura Schonnop et al.   Obesity

Rare Genetic Forms of Obesity: Clinical Approach and Current Treatments in 2016

(2016) Hélène Huvenne et al.   Obesity Facts

New loci for body fat percentage reveal link between adiposity and cardiometabolic disease risk

(2016) Yingchang Lu et al.   Nature Communications

Genetic Predisposition to Weight Loss and Regain With Lifestyle Intervention: Analyses From the Diabetes Prevention Program and the Look AHEAD Randomized Controlled Trials

(2015) George D. Papandonatos et al.   DIABETES

Genome-wide association analysis identifies three new susceptibility loci for childhood body mass index

(2015) Janine F. Felix et al.   HUMAN MOLECULAR GENETICS

Genome-wide association studies suggest sex-specific loci associated with abdominal and visceral fat

(2015) Y J Sung et al.   INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBESITY

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution

(2015) Dmitry Shungin et al.   NATURE

A global reference for human genetic variation

(2015) Richard A. Gibbs et al.   NATURE

Genetic studies of body mass index yield new insights for obesity biology

(2015) Adam E. Locke et al.   NATURE

Genetic variance estimation with imputed variants finds negligible missing heritability for human height and body mass index

(2015) Jian Yang et al.   NATURE GENETICS

Exploring the emerging complexity in transcriptional regulation of energy homeostasis

(2015) Adelheid Lempradl et al.   NATURE REVIEWS GENETICS

FTO Obesity Variant Circuitry and Adipocyte Browning in Humans

(2015) Melina Claussnitzer et al.   NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE

Genome-wide analysis of hepatic lipid content in extreme obesity

(2014) Johanna K. DiStefano et al.   ACTA DIABETOLOGICA

Hypomorphism for RPGRIP1L, a Ciliary Gene Vicinal to the FTO Locus, Causes Increased Adiposity in Mice

(2014) George Stratigopoulos et al.   Cell Metabolism

Obesity and FTO: Changing Focus at a Complex Locus

(2014) Y.C. Loraine Tung et al.   Cell Metabolism

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies in East Asian-ancestry populations identifies four new loci for body mass index

(2014) Wanqing Wen et al.   HUMAN MOLECULAR GENETICS

Obesity-associated variants within FTO form long-range functional connections with IRX3

(2014) Scott Smemo et al.   NATURE

Low copy number of the salivary amylase gene predisposes to obesity

(2014) Mario Falchi et al.   NATURE GENETICS

Defining the role of common variation in the genomic and biological architecture of adult human height

(2014) Andrew R Wood et al.   NATURE GENETICS

Biology of upper-body and lower-body adipose tissue—link to whole-body phenotypes

(2014) Fredrik Karpe et al.   Nature Reviews Endocrinology

The Biology and Genetics of Obesity — A Century of Inquiries

(2014) Chin Jou   NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE

Fine Mapping and Identification of BMI Loci in African Americans

(2013) Jian Gong et al.   AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS

Genetic predisposition to obesity and lifestyle factors – the combined analyses of twenty-six known BMI- and fourteen known waist:hip ratio (WHR)-associated variants in the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study

(2013) Tiina Jääskeläinen et al.   BRITISH JOURNAL OF NUTRITION

Mechanisms and Metabolic Implications of Regional Differences among Fat Depots

(2013) Tamara Tchkonia et al.   Cell Metabolism

Human Cardiovascular Disease IBC Chip-Wide Association with Weight Loss and Weight Regain in the Look AHEAD Trial

(2013) Jeanne M. McCaffery et al.   HUMAN HEREDITY

Where is the beef? Waist circumference is more highly correlated with BMI and total body fat than with abdominal visceral fat in children

(2013) P T Katzmarzyk et al.   INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBESITY

Genome-wide Association of Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms With Weight Loss Outcomes After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery

(2013) Erica S. Rinella et al.   JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY & METABOLISM

A meta-analysis identifies new loci associated with body mass index in individuals of African ancestry

(2013) Keri L Monda et al.   NATURE GENETICS

Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies 11 new loci for anthropometric traits and provides insights into genetic architecture

(2013) Sonja I Berndt et al.   NATURE GENETICS

Genome-wide SNP and CNV analysis identifies common and low-frequency variants associated with severe early-onset obesity

(2013) Eleanor Wheeler et al.   NATURE GENETICS

The bigger picture of FTO—the first GWAS-identified obesity gene

(2013) Ruth J. F. Loos et al.   Nature Reviews Endocrinology

Obesity-susceptibility loci and the tails of the pediatric BMI distribution

(2013) Jonathan A. Mitchell et al.   Obesity

Genetic Analysis of Low BMI Phenotype in the Utah Population Database

(2013) William R. Yates et al.   PLoS One

Using Extended Genealogy to Estimate Components of Heritability for 23 Quantitative and Dichotomous Traits

(2013) Noah Zaitlen et al.   PLoS Genetics

Genetic determinants of common obesity and their value in prediction

(2012) Ruth J.F. Loos   BEST PRACTICE & RESEARCH CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY & METABOLISM

Within-family variation in obesity

(2012) Joseph Price et al.   Economics & Human Biology

Candidate genes for obesity-susceptibility show enriched association within a large genome-wide association study for BMI

(2012) Karani S. Vimaleswaran et al.   HUMAN MOLECULAR GENETICS

Gene-centric meta-analyses of 108 912 individuals confirm known body mass index loci and reveal three novel signals

(2012) Yiran Guo et al.   HUMAN MOLECULAR GENETICS

Morbid obesity rates continue to rise rapidly in the United States

(2012) R Sturm et al.   INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBESITY

Meta-analysis identifies common variants associated with body mass index in east Asians

(2012) Wanqing Wen et al.   NATURE GENETICS

A genome-wide association meta-analysis identifies new childhood obesity loci

(2012)   NATURE GENETICS

Quantile-Specific Penetrance of Genes Affecting Lipoproteins, Adiposity and Height

(2012) Paul T. Williams   PLoS One

Genetic and Environmental Contributions to Weight, Height, and BMI from Birth to 19 Years of Age: An International Study of Over 12,000 Twin Pairs

(2012) Lise Dubois et al.   PLoS One

A Systematic Survey of Loss-of-Function Variants in Human Protein-Coding Genes

(2012) D. G. MacArthur et al.   SCIENCE

Genome-Wide Association for Abdominal Subcutaneous and Visceral Adipose Reveals a Novel Locus for Visceral Fat in Women

(2012) Caroline S. Fox et al.   PLoS Genetics

Assortative marriages by body mass index have increased simultaneously with the obesity epidemic

(2012) Teresa A. Ajslev   Frontiers in Genetics

Variability in the Heritability of Body Mass Index: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression

(2012) Cathy E. Elks et al.   Frontiers in Endocrinology

The Intergenerational Transmission of Thinness

(2011) Katriina L. Whitaker   ARCHIVES OF PEDIATRICS & ADOLESCENT MEDICINE

Heritability and genome-wide association analysis of renal sinus fat accumulation in the Framingham Heart Study

(2011) Meredith C Foster et al.   BMC Medical Genetics

Clan Genomics and the Complex Architecture of Human Disease

(2011) James R. Lupski et al.   CELL

The genetic epidemiology of melanocortin 4 receptor variants

(2011) Ruth J.F. Loos   EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY

Heritability of the Weight Loss Response to Gastric Bypass Surgery

(2011) Ida J. Hatoum et al.   JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY & METABOLISM

Lipodystrophies: Genetic and Acquired Body Fat Disorders

(2011) Abhimanyu Garg   JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY & METABOLISM

Mirror extreme BMI phenotypes associated with gene dosage at the chromosome 16p11.2 locus

(2011) Sébastien Jacquemont et al.   NATURE

Genetic Polymorphisms in the Hypothalamic Pathway in Relation to Subsequent Weight Change – The DiOGenes Study

(2011) Huaidong Du et al.   PLoS One

Increased Genetic Variance of BMI with a Higher Prevalence of Obesity

(2011) Benjamin Rokholm et al.   PLoS One

Comparing maternal and paternal intergenerational transmission of obesity risk in a large population-based sample

(2010) Katriina L Whitaker et al.   AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION

Associations of markers in 11 obesity candidate genes with maximal weight loss and weight regain in the SOS bariatric surgery cases

(2010) M A Sarzynski et al.   INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBESITY

Cut-like Homeobox 1 (CUX1) Regulates Expression of the Fat Mass and Obesity-associated and Retinitis Pigmentosa GTPase Regulator-interacting Protein-1-like (RPGRIP1L) Genes and Coordinates Leptin Receptor Signaling

(2010) George Stratigopoulos et al.   JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY

Hundreds of variants clustered in genomic loci and biological pathways affect human height

(2010) Hana Lango Allen et al.   NATURE

Meta-analysis identifies 13 new loci associated with waist-hip ratio and reveals sexual dimorphism in the genetic basis of fat distribution

(2010) Iris M Heid et al.   NATURE GENETICS

Association analyses of 249,796 individuals reveal 18 new loci associated with body mass index

(2010) Elizabeth K Speliotes et al.   NATURE GENETICS

Common SNPs explain a large proportion of the heritability for human height

(2010) Jian Yang et al.   NATURE GENETICS

A Commentary on ‘Common SNPs Explain a Large Proportion of the Heritability for Human Height’ by Yang et al. (2010)

(2010) Peter M. Visscher et al.   Twin Research and Human Genetics

Cumulative effects and predictive value of common obesity-susceptibility variants identified by genome-wide association studies

(2009) Shengxu Li et al.   AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION

Heritability of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

(2009) Jeffrey B. Schwimmer et al.   GASTROENTEROLOGY

Common body mass index-associated variants confer risk of extreme obesity

(2009) Chris Cotsapas et al.   HUMAN MOLECULAR GENETICS

Genome-wide association study for early-onset and morbid adult obesity identifies three new risk loci in European populations

(2009) David Meyre et al.   NATURE GENETICS

Correlates and Heritability of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in a Minority Cohort

(2009) Lynne E. Wagenknecht et al.   Obesity

Genetics of Tracking of Body Mass Index from Birth to Late Middle Age: Evidence from Twin and Family Studies

(2009) Karri Silventoinen et al.   Obesity Facts

Sex-specific genetic effects influence variation in body composition

(2008) M. C. Zillikens et al.   DIABETOLOGIA

Common variants near MC4R are associated with fat mass, weight and risk of obesity

(2008) Ruth J F Loos et al.   NATURE GENETICS

Genome-wide association yields new sequence variants at seven loci that associate with measures of obesity

(2008) Gudmar Thorleifsson et al.   NATURE GENETICS

Six new loci associated with body mass index highlight a neuronal influence on body weight regulation

(2008) Cristen J Willer et al.   NATURE GENETICS

Heritability in the genomics era — concepts and misconceptions

(2008) Peter M. Visscher et al.   NATURE REVIEWS GENETICS

Fat Infiltration in Muscle: New Evidence for Familial Clustering and Associations With Diabetes

(2008) Iva Miljkovic-Gacic et al.   Obesity

Genetic analysis of self-reported physical activity and adiposity: The Southwest Ohio Family Study

(2008) Audrey C Choh et al.   PUBLIC HEALTH NUTRITION