Model proved more accurate for people of European ancestry
The PRS model proved more accurate for people of European ancestry compared to South Asians. The model, created using genetic data from over five million individuals of various backgrounds, was found to be twice as effective as previous models.
By integrating the influence of hundreds of thousands of genetic variants, it evaluates an individual’s risk of obesity, serving as a robust early-warning tool to inform preventive lifestyle adjustments.
“What makes the score so powerful is its ability to predict, around the age of five, whether a child is likely to develop obesity in adulthood, well before other risk factors start to shape their weight,” said Dr. Roelof Smit, lead author and assistant professor at the University of Copenhagen’s NNF Centre for Basic Metabolic Research.
Dr. Chandak told TNIE, “This is one of the most extensive multi-ancestry studies ever conducted. It identifies genetic variants accounting for 18 to 20% of the genetic risk for obesity, almost triple what we previously knew. For India, it shows that precision prevention is possible but must go hand in hand with behaviour change.”
He added that the samples tracked over the years were mainly healthy individuals, and those who developed other diseases were excluded from the initial genetic assessments. The research also confirmed that obesity in Indians, which is often abdominal and visceral, follows a different genetic trajectory than in Europeans.
The senior geneticist said, “Many obesity-linked gene variants identified in European populations showed limited impact on Indians. In the future, we must create PRS models specific to Indian groups.”