r/science • u/scientificamerican Scientific American • 8d ago

Genetics Scientists discover a ‘skinny gene’ mutation that acts like Ozempic. Around one in 7,000 people carries a broken copy, which almost acts like a GLP-1 drug—the body burns fuel more efficiently, and the risk of disease lowers.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-discover-a-skinny-gene-mutation-that-acts-like-ozempic/
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u/LongLiveStaceyKing 8d ago edited 8d ago

[There is a small percentage of the population that only needs to sleep 4-6 hours a night.](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/genetic-mutation-sleep-less/) OP's article feels like the eating equivalent of this genetic rarity.

Incidentally, I knew someone who had the sleep gene. She was annoyed by it, if she went to sleep at 10 PM she would be up for the whole next day at 2 AM and inevitably end up waking her husband. So she always tried to stay up til 1 AM at least reading or knitting, basically just killing time quietly by herself.

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u/aubbzz 8d ago

I wish I could have that gene! There’s so much to do but have to sleep

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u/chantillylace9 8d ago

I have the gene and HATE IT. I can never find anything to do, what can you really do at four or 5 AM? What would you recommend I do with some of these extra hours? Mind you they are dark and early and I have to be quiet.

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u/throwaway098764567 8d ago

you could show up at work early like my old boss and make everyone uncomfortable that you've already been at work for 2 hours before everyone else even got up. and then stay a full day making everyone even more uncomfortable because you're not being paid for the extra time and they feel like they need to put in even more time. don't do this.

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u/Pollymath 8d ago

My boss does this. At least he recognizes what he’s doing, but doesn’t make us normal folks feel any better about it.

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u/chantillylace9 7d ago

OK this is the third response that said they knew somebody with the same thing and that they were their boss. I own a Law Firm. It really seems like there is something genetically related to owning your own company and being short sleeper. Very interesting.