A common genetic variant appears to increase the risk of becoming obese in both childhood and adulthood, according to a new report.

In searching for genes that confer susceptibility for developing type 2 diabetes, Dr. Andrew T. Hattersley, from the Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, UK, came across a variant in a gene called FTO that seems to raise the risk of diabetes by increasing body mass index (BMI).

The normal purpose of the FTO gene is currently unknown, according to the report in the research journal Science.

Further study of more than 38,000 subjects confirmed the effect of the FTO variant on BMI. Adults who carried the variant were 67 percent more likely to be obese than those with the normal version of the gene.

The researchers also found that the elevated risk of obesity is apparent as early as age 7 years.

“Understanding how variation in the FTO gene region is associated with adiposity may provide insights into novel pathways involved in the control of adiposity,” the authors conclude.

SOURCE: Science, online April 12, 2007.