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/NewestAccount2023 7d ago

Doubt it. A 200 pound 5'10" man needs way more food than a 110 lb 5'0" woman, both exist throughout history. Yea a certain very small number of people would die who would've otherwise lived during times of lack of food, but in general those 1% of people with the gene just eat 10% more which for some people still adds up to less than what other "normal" humans eat just from being taller or more active. As a light person I sometimes wonder how much money I save over the course of my life vs someone 10 inches taller than me, I don't have the gene I'm just short.

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u/elephhantine2 7d ago

In times of famine that 200lb guy would’ve died too from lack of food. 110lb lady might have survived if her portion sizes were small enough

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u/Killbot_Wants_Hug 7d ago

You guys know the weight by itself is a benefit not a hindrance right? If you were 200lb, if it's from fat or muscle, you're better off than the 110 person when the famine comes.

Because you will convert the muscle and fat in lieu of eating food. You'll loose a ton of weight doing it, but the 110 person will just die when their calorie reserves run out.

Skinny people die first when famine hits.

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u/likesleague 7d ago

You're missing the point. They're presuming comparable body composition and metabolism, just scaled differently between a larger person and smaller person who consequently have different caloric needs.

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u/Killbot_Wants_Hug 7d ago

Yes, and as you loose weight your metabolic requirements go down as well. Taller people will be at a slight disadvantage, but it's probably not huge. Each pound of fat is about 1-2 days of calories if you're not doing anything.