(Augusta, GA) According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 15 percent of children age 6-19 are overweight. The effects of genes on the development of obesity during childhood is not well understood; as the problem grows, so do the number of ways in which scientists look to better understand it.

The authors of a study employing a unique methodology (growth curves of body fat measures are examined) will discuss their approach and findings in a presentation entitled, "Effects of Candidate Genes on Growth Curves for Adiposity." The investigators are Robert H. Podolsky, Hyun-Sik Kang, Paule Barbeau, Frank A. Treiber and Harold Snieder, all of the Medical College of Georgia. They will appear during the upcoming scientific conference, "Understanding Renal and Cardiovascular Function Through Physiological Genomics," a meeting of the American Physiological Society (APS) (www.the-aps.org), being held October 1-4, 2003 at the Radisson Riverfront Hotel and Convention Center, Augusta, GA.

A Unique Approach

The researchers' approach to measuring obesity is unique in two ways. First, the data come from a longitudinal study of more than 620 participants who have annually provided key body measurements for more than a decade. Second, a statistical approach known as growth curve modeling is used to describe the development of body fat measures of each individual, and examine how the growth curves differ by race, sex, socio-economic status, and genetic make-up.. This research lab is one of a handful worldwide to use such a technique to analyze obesity and its relationship to the genes believed to play a significant role in the development of obesity from childhood to adulthood.

Methodology

Growth curves using hallmarks of obesity -- body mass index, waist circumference and sum of skinfolds taken from triceps, subscapular and suprailiac areas -- were employed. The growth
'"/>

Contact: Donna Krupa
djkrupa1@aol.com
703-527-7357
American Physiological Society
30-Sep-2003

Page: 1 2 3
Related medicine news :

1. First head-to-head study to compare lidoderm patch and Celebrex in treating pain
2. UMaine study looks at infants and chronic nighttime crying
3. Chronic pain treatments more effective when taken together, new study shows
4. UNC study: Most N.C. family practitioners engage in unrecognized community service
5. New study in Nature demonstrates protection against cell death during heart attack
6. UCSF study offers insight into human circadian rhythms
7. International breast cancer prevention study launches in the United States and Canada
8. UW study shows blacks and Latinos are more satisfied with physicians of the same race
9. Physicians may not be accurate in their confidence levels of their diagnoses, says Pitt study
10. Advertising by academic medical centers may risk eroding public trust, says study
11. Fat may promote inflammation, new study suggests