Madison DeGrezia
Professor Vejdemo-Johansson
HON 223
8 November 2021
Cure for Obesity: Fact or Fiction?
After thoroughly researching and examining the recent articles uploaded to the New York Post, the news article pertaining to controlling obesity rates has caught my interest. The article, “Scientists believe obesity may be cured by modifying a series of genes called ‘hippo’”, by Chris Pollard discusses the possibility of controlling the obesity rates by altering a series of genes referred to as “the hippo pathway”. Obesity has greatly affected America due to the lack of exercise and the increasing amount of fatty foods. The new generations are getting even more lazier in the surge of technology and the absence of physical activity during the Covid-19 pandemic. More and more people are remaining confined to their homes and are less motivated to go outside and parktake in some healthy physical activity with their peers. Consequently, the obesity rates have skyrocketed over the years, however recent research and studies have provided hope for a cure for obesity and the possibility of a healthier generation.
The New York Post article written by Pollard based its findings off of the data published on the peer-reviewed open access platform, PLOS Biology, titled, “Zyxin Links Fat Signaling to the Hippo Pathway”, by authors Cordelia Rauskolb,Guohui Pan, B. V. V. G. Reddy, Hyangyee Oh, Kenneth D. Irvine. The article highlights the role the hippo pathway genes play in our body and their responsibility of regulating organ size. A study was conducted on fruit flies where four genes in the brain were turned on and off to pinpoint the effect it would have on the behavior and growth of the body. Fruit flies specifically share a similar gene makeup with humans, roughly 75%, of genes that are linked to causing disease. Researchers used the data gathered on the fruit flies and suggested a possible solution to limiting the number of people suffering from obesity. It was proven that when the hippo pathway genes were not active, the species in question gained a significant amount of weight. Therefore, researchers were optimistic in determining if the same outcome would occur in the human body, allowing for treatments to be created and put in practice in the future to reduce fat. According to the study, researchers analyzed the direct impact the hippo pathway has on organs in a fruit fly, specifically the wing growth and the wing discs. The study demonstrated that the lack of Zyx in wing disc development resulted in adult flies having significantly smaller wings compared to their fellow counterparts. It was also proven that hippo signaling is in control of leg growth, so shorter legs were a consequence of Zyx depletion. The study further explored the correlation between Zyx and the hippo pathway and looked at the effect it had on the discs of wings. Overall, the study concluded that the absence of Zyx influences the Yki pathway, ultimately resulting in reduced organ growth.
The published New York Post article and the research paper share some commonalities, but there are some discrepancies that clearly set them apart from each other. Both the article and the research paper acknowledge the role the hippo pathway genes play in the body and the control those genes have on organ growth. However, the study specifically focuses on fruit flies and how the absence of Zyx, which is “a regulator of hippo signaling”, affects the growth of valuable organs in fruit flies, such as their wings and legs. The paper never clearly states that this could be connected to human obesity in the world and that hippo signaling could promise a cure to reduce fat. The article does mention that there was not a clear link between hippo pathway genes and obesity, however the author does do a great job at selling the idea of the possibility of it to his audience. This is a common issue in the scientific community when their findings are released and discussed on social media platforms. This is due to the public altering the findings of a study and making a bizarre assumption of what it could possibly infer. The public tends to completely revamp a study’s findings and alter it in a way that would grab the attention of the public. The New York Post article was condensed and provided minimal background information for the study conducted on fruit flies. The abstract and the New York Post article were in agreement that the hippo pathway genes regulate organ growth, but the abstract provided a significant amount of information regarding the study. The abstract expressed that there was a correlation between Zyx and hippo signaling along with organ growth. The purpose of both the abstract and the New York Post article is to grab the reader’s attention and draw them in to wanting to read more. However, the NY Post article gave false hope to the public and rather made an inaccurate assumption based off of the study that has not been fully researched yet.
Work Cited
Rauskolb, Cordelia, et al. “Zyxin Links Fat Signaling to the Hippo Pathway.” PLOS Biology, Public Library of Science, 7 June 2011, https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1000624#abstract1.
Sun, The. “Scientists Believe Obesity May Be Cured by Modifying a Series of Genes Called ‘Hippo’.” New York Post, New York Post, 5 Nov. 2021, https://nypost.com/2021/11/05/scientists-believe-obesity-may-be-cured-by-modifying-a-series-of-genes-called-hippo/.
