Research
Hormonal
Mutations in the MC4R gene are a significant cause of monogenic obesity, resulting in increased body weight, hyperphagia (larger meals), and potentially reduced energy expenditure, but not necessarily binge eating.
If you have an MC4R mutation, expect that you may naturally eat larger meals and potentially have a slightly lower energy expenditure. This is a biological trait, not a character flaw. Management strategies should focus on portion control and understanding satiety cues.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Children with MC4R mutations have been shown to eat larger meals... A negative effect of the mutations on energy expenditure also appears likely... An initial report that MC4R mutations induce binge eating was not confirmed in subsequent investigations.
Why this rating
Based on multiple studies including population-based assessments and pedigree analyses.
Source
From monogenic to polygenic obesity: recent advances
Anke Hinney et al. · European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · 2010
DOI 10.1007/s00787-010-0096-6
narrative_reviewCited 245×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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