Hungry Gene: Binge eating is not all about willpower

A hereditary link explains why some can't stop eating

By Colin Allen, published on March 01, 2003

A mutated gene may be to blame for a binge-eater's desire to stuff himself. Two studies published in The New England Journal of Medicinehad pinpointed a specific gene that is linked to the uncontrollable desire to eat. There has been much research investigating the hereditary factors involved in obesity.

Healthy versions of the gene, known as the melanocortin 4-receptor, make a protein that controls appetite in the brain. Mutated versions make too little protein; therefore the body feels hungrier than it really is. In a joint Swiss, German and American study, 5 percent of 469 severely obese people carried the mutated gene. The study also found that all people who had the broken gene were binge-eaters.

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A second study done by British researchers found the same gene mutation in 5 percent of 500 obese children. The link was so strong the researchers could predict which children would overeat at mealtime. According to the National Institutes of Health, 55 percent of Americans—97 million people— are overweight or obese. These numbers have increased over the last 20 years.