One of the most common deletions involved the SH2B1 gene, which encodes an essential component of the leptin signalling pathway. Of particular clinical interest is several children with this deletion had been placed on the "at risk" social services register, based on the assumption that inadequate parenting was the cause of their obesity. Our discovery prompted these decisions to be reconsidered and reversed. Such studies are also contributing to the wider debate concerning the biological and social determinants of obesity. This study is published in Nature
Section:
DOME
