Scientists discover a ‘skinny gene’ mutation that acts like Ozempic

You are what you eat, but what happens to those calories after you eat may depend more on your genes than you think.Scientists have long suspected that how our bodies deal with calories is somewhat determined by our genetic makeup. Now, they’ve zoomed in on one gene—FNIP1—which plays an outsize role in how we burn energy and our risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and kidney disease. 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.To find the gene, scientists sequenced the coding DNA of more than a million people across three continents, scouring for mutations that influence how the body stores and uses fat. FNIP1 stood out.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this