MGB researchers unveil genetic risk calculator for obesity, T2D

health

Researchers say the new tool could help predict health risks associated with obesity early and reshape prevention strategies.

Researchers from Mass General Brigham have developed a new genetic risk calculator designed to predict not only who might develop obesity or type 2 diabetes, but how these conditions might affect long-term health.

Drawing on one of the largest datasets ever used for this type of research, the new calculator can identify people at risk of obesity or type 2 diabetes decades before conditions develop.

results, Published in the research journal “Cell Metabolism” It represents an important step forward in using genetics to predict the course of the complex Metabolic diseases — Disorders that affect the body’s ability to digest food — MGB announced in a statement on Thursday.

At the research center is a tool known as a polygenic risk score, which combines multiple genetic variants to estimate a person’s likelihood of developing a disease, MGB officials said.

Although such findings already exist, the MGB team set out to go further: predicting the ultimate health consequences of obesity and type 2 diabetes, not just the diagnosis itself, co-first author Min-Seo Kim said in a statement.

“In the future, this genomic approach could complement well-established clinical risk factors to guide patient care and preventive strategies,” Kim said.

How does it work?

Co-author Aqal Fahd said that unlike traditional models that rely heavily on measures such as body mass index, the new calculator includes genetic signals associated with 20 metabolic traits, including fat distribution, insulin function, and glucose regulation. boston.com.

“We use mathematical modeling to compile all that data and create that result,” he said. “Once we had this result, we went and tested it on different populations, so we partnered with different biobanks around the world.”

The researchers analyzed genome-wide association studies involving more than 8.5 million participants globally, and are among the largest datasets ever used for this type of research, according to an MGB statement.

The volume of data is a key differentiator, said Fahd, who is also an interventional cardiologist at Harvard MGB Heart and Vascular Institute. He added that this breadth allowed the model to outperform previous risk scores across multiple populations.

“This uses the largest data ever, and outperforms every result ever published in multiple strains,” Fahd said.

A major limitation of previous genetic risk models has been their heavy reliance on European datasets, which reduces accuracy relative to other groups. The new score is designed with broader representation in mind, with a particular focus on populations in Africa, East Asia and South Asia, according to the MGB.

Why does it matter?

In addition to identifying risks, the calculator also helps predict realistic outcomes.

The researchers found that individuals with high genetic risk scores — even if they were initially healthy — were twice as likely to later need interventions such as: GLP-1 drugs or Obesity surgery compared to those with mid-range scores, according to the MGB statement.

Fahd said that the ability to predict disease progression is what makes the tool particularly promising.

“If you can predict diseases early, you can probably treat them early,” he added. “You don’t really want to have to deal with obesity after someone has had a heart attack. You really want to take people early in life and … not allow them to get to the point where they become obese and suffer the consequences.”

Fahd explained that the result is based on DNA, and can be evaluated long before symptoms appear, which opens the door to earlier and perhaps more effective interventions. Specifically, the test predicts “Metabolic consequencesHe said: “From obesity and diabetes, which refers to conditions that occur from these diseases, such as high blood pressure and increased body fat.

“This is really important because what we care about with obesity is actually the complications of obesity, not just body image,” he said.

Fahd said the research is also important for the public to understand how obesity occurs. It is not a product of lifestyle, it is a condition strongly influenced by genetics.

Fahd explained how everyone knows someone who can eat unhealthy foods and not suffer from their repercussions: “This is because of genes.”

What’s next?

Looking to the future, Fahd said the next step is implementation.

Fahd said that this step will require building the necessary infrastructure to implement genetic risk scoring on a large scale, including clinical guidelines, laboratory capacity, and training doctors to understand test results.

“I think there’s a lot of education and standardization that needs to happen in order to start implementing these genetic risk scores on a large scale,” he added.