Missing DNA linked to obesity in children

"A recent study suggests that childhood obesity may be linked to missing DNA. British researchers found that the rare occurrence of missing DNA segments may lead to severe obesity in children, because it affects a gene used by the brain for appetite control. Dr. Sadaf Farooqi of Cambridge University, who co-authored the study, is quoted in the report as stating that children with a chromosome 16 deletion, 'have a very strong drive to eat… They're very, very hungry, they always want to eat.' As noted by the AP, research on the deletion of chromosome 16 has helped in two cases where parents were accused by the British child welfare authorities of overfeeding their children, who were subsequently found to lack the missing DNA. Farooqi is quoted in the report as stating of the cases, 'It's a slightly unusual outcome of our research, but one we think is very important.' More information about the study findings may be found in the recent online publication of the Nature journal"