Research
Hormonal
Mutations in the human MC4 receptor are a common cause of severe childhood obesity, characterized by hyperphagia, increased linear growth, and hyperinsulinemia.
For some individuals, especially children with severe obesity, the root cause is a genetic mutation in the MC4 receptor. This leads to extreme hunger and rapid growth. Understanding this genetic basis is crucial for selecting appropriate treatments, as standard approaches may fail.
StrongSupportsVERY_HIGH confidence
Mutations in the MC4 receptor are a relatively common cause of severe childhood obesity... Those people show clear hyperphagia, hyperinsulinaemia, increased lean body mass, bone mineral density and linear growth rate...
Why this rating
Based on human genetic studies showing clear phenotypic correlations.
Source
The MC4 receptor and control of appetite
Roger A.H. Adan et al. · British Journal of Pharmacology · 2006
DOI 10.1038/sj.bjp.0706929
narrative_reviewCited 256×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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- Activation of the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) reduces food intake primarily by decreasing meal size and duration, without affecting meal frequency or initiation.Good
- The efficacy of MC4 receptor agonists in reducing food intake is attenuated in subjects with high adiposity or those consuming high-fat diets, suggesting the system regulates a defended body fat set point.Good
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