Research

Energy balance

Carriers of the common MC4R variant rs17782313 (allele-C) exhibit significantly higher intakes of total energy and dietary fat, leading to greater long-term BMI increase and increased risk of type 2 diabetes in women.

If you carry the MC4R risk variant, you may biologically predispose yourself to eat more calories and prefer fatty foods. This isn't a failure of willpower but a biological trait. To manage weight, focus on strategies that mitigate this drive, such as prioritizing whole foods over energy-dense fats and monitoring portion sizes, especially if you have a family history of diabetes.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
In conclusion, the common SNP rs17782313 near MC4R gene was significantly associated with higher intakes of total energy and dietary fat. In addition, the SNP was related to greater long-term weight change and increased risk of diabetes in women.
Lu Qi et al. · Human Molecular Genetics · 2008

Why this rating

Large prospective cohort (N=5724), statistically significant associations, adjusted for multiple covariates, and replicated in meta-analysis.

Source

The common obesity variant near MC4R gene is associated with higher intakes of total energy and dietary fat, weight change and diabetes risk in women

Lu Qi et al. · Human Molecular Genetics · 2008

DOI 10.1093/hmg/ddn242

cohort · n=5724Cited 232×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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