Mice With Disabled Gene That Helps Turn Carbs Into Fat Stay Lean Despite Feasting On High-carb Diet
Quote:
|
ScienceDaily (Mar. 23, 2009) — Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have identified a gene that plays a critical regulatory role in the process of converting dietary carbohydrates to fat. In a new study, they disabled this gene in mice, which consequently had lower levels of body fat than their normal counterparts, despite being fed the equivalent of an all-you-can-eat pasta buffet.
|
I find this to be rather disturbing simply from the standpoint that we may soon investigate a manipulation of DNA in order to help people shed or keep off unwanted pounds. Yes, perhaps it is a greatly needed solution for a population that can not resist eating more Calories than they need, but what happens if Calories suddenly are not as plentiful. What if all those global warming nuts (me included) are right and food crops die out as global temperatures rise? I have a feeling that this sort of research is paving the way for an unintended consequence of horrific proportions, like people starving to death on a 2000 Calorie a day diet. Screwing with DNA is just a wee bit of a scary proposition no?
