Pérusse Louis, Bouchard Claude
a Division of Kinesiology, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine , Laval University , Ste-Foy , Qué , Canada .
Ann Med. 1999;31(sup1):19-25. doi: 10.1080/07853890.1999.11904395.
The concern about the current epidemic of obesity is heightened by recent data showing an increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents. As obese children are at increased risk of becoming obese adults, early identification of individuals at risk of becoming obese is important for the implementation of preventive measures. In that context, it is important to assess the role of genetic and nongenetic factors in childhood obesity as well as in susceptibility to dietary variations. This paper reviews recent data regarding the prevalence of obesity in childhood as well as the role of genetic factors in phenotypes related to obesity, with emphasis on studies conducted on children, when available. The existence of severe cases of obesity, such as those encountered in Mendelian syndromes of obesity or those caused by mutations in single genes, provides strong evidence for a role of genetic factors in the aetiology of childhood obesity. Furthermore, results from family studies suggest that the maximal heritability of obesity phenotypes ranges from about 30% to 50% and that the major affectors of body fat content, energy intake and energy expenditure are also influenced by genetic factors. Finally, there is increasing evidence that responsiveness to dietary intervention is genetically determined.
近期数据显示儿童和青少年超重及肥胖的患病率有所上升，这加剧了人们对当前肥胖流行情况的担忧。由于肥胖儿童成年后肥胖的风险增加，因此早期识别有肥胖风险的个体对于实施预防措施至关重要。在这种情况下，评估遗传和非遗传因素在儿童肥胖以及对饮食变化易感性中的作用非常重要。本文回顾了有关儿童肥胖患病率以及遗传因素在与肥胖相关表型中的作用的近期数据，如有可用数据，则重点关注针对儿童开展的研究。严重肥胖病例的存在，如在孟德尔肥胖综合征中遇到的病例或由单基因突变引起的病例，为遗传因素在儿童肥胖病因中的作用提供了有力证据。此外，家族研究结果表明，肥胖表型的最大遗传率约为30%至50%，且身体脂肪含量、能量摄入和能量消耗的主要影响因素也受遗传因素影响。最后，越来越多的证据表明，对饮食干预的反应性是由基因决定的。
