FTO AND OBESITY

Introduction: Obesity is a multifactorial disease. There are currently 1, 700, 000 overweight people in the world (of which 300, 000 are obese). That is why new solutions, ways and approaches to the prevention and treatment of obesity are being sought today. This especially refers to the financing and adoption of generally acceptable programs and actions at the level of the entire state, professional institutions and the business and civil sector are involved. According to the Croatian Institute of Public Health, 63% of men and 54% of women in Croatia are overweight, and 20% of them are obese, both men and women. Croatia is one of the "fat nations". In the ranking of fat countries in Europe, Croatia is in fifth place. In terms of overweight by gender, Croatian women are in third place, and Croatian men are in fourth place. In the whole world, among 194 countries in the world, Croatia ranks 71 place. Aim: Study relevant and recent content-related literature. Demonstrate whether there is an association between FTO genes and obesity Results: Obesity is a multifactorial disease. To date, it has been proven that the formation of obesity is influenced by about 100 genes. So far, the FTO gene (fat mass and obesity associated gene) has the greatest impact. The FTO gene consists of 9 exons located on chromosome 16, and contains over 400 kB, and is the first gene identified to be associated with obesity according to whole-genome association studies. One of the major roles of the FTO gene is to regulate food intake and energy expenditure in humans and animals. The FTO gene is expressed in all tissues, but is most abundant in the brain in the hypothalamic region that plays a key role in regulating food intake. A higher concentration of FTO was detected in the adipose tissue of obese individuals than in individuals with normal body mass index values. Homozygotes have 3-4 kg higher body weight and 1.67 times higher risk of obesity. The effect is achieved through satiety signals that affect food intake. FTO gene forms are associated with the function of the occipital lobe of the cerebral cortex that selects food and makes a decision. Research shows that 63% of the European population has one risk allele for FTO. Conclusion: Obesity has become a global problem affecting a wider population, contributing to the development of many chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and the development of certain types of tumors. The appearance of obesity is greatly contributed by a sedentary lifestyle and intake of high-calorie foods. The data show that obesity began to spread from 1980 until today when it became a global pandemic. Despite numerous prevention programs to raise awareness about the risk of overweight and obesity, efforts to reduce food intake and increase energy expenditure through various physical activities, the percentage of obese people in today’s modern society is still increasing. However, obesity is not solely a consequence of lifestyle, but is influenced by a number of genetic and non-genetic factors. Obesity is a complex disease that is affected by several factors and occurs as a result of interactions between social, environmental, and genetic factors.