Researchers Create Polygenic Risk Score That Could Predict Person’s Risk Of Obesity As An Adult Before They Turn 5

NBC News (7/21, Sullivan) reports, “A genetic test may one day predict a child’s risk of obesity in adulthood, paving the way for early interventions.” Over “600 researchers from around the world worked together to compile genetic data from more than 5 million people – the largest and most diverse genetic dataset to date.” Investigators created “what’s known as a polygenic risk score, which takes into account which genetic variants a person has that have been linked to a higher BMI in adulthood.” The score, the investigators “said, could be used to predict a person’s risk of obesity as an adult – before they even turn 5.” The findings were published in Nature Medicine.