Appetite linked to genetic predisposition to obesity

Appetite may be linked to rapid infant growth and a genetic predisposition to obesity, according to a recent study.

Weight gain is due in part to lower satiety responsiveness, or not listening to your body when it signals that you're full, and higher food responsiveness.

The study, led by Jane Wardle and her University College London team, revealed that infants with a heartier appetite grew more rapidly up to age 15 months, potentially putting them at increased risk for obesity.

In one part of the study, they observed a set of twins during their first 15 months of life to see their response to cues regarding food sight or smell on their satiety. In another study, led by UCL's Clare Llewellyn, researchers also looked at twins, except this time with a mean age of 10, studying the impact of their satiety and food responsiveness on weight gain.

The results suggest that a lowered response to fullness can cause a genetic predisposition that leads to weight gain in a food-rich environment. What's more, both studies show a link between genetics, satiety and obesity.

"These findings are extremely powerful because we were comparing children of the same age and same sex growing up in the same family in order to reveal the role that appetite plays in infant growth," Wardle explained in a press release.

The authors, whose study is published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, suggest parents need to be more aware of their infants' appetite as they grow, and particularly to heightened responses to food cues and a lack of feeling full. One technique that could be used to improve their eating habits is trying to make them eat more slowly.

This kind of satiety sensitivity could be targeted for pharmacological and behavioral interventions to prevent or treat obesity in the future, the scientists concluded.