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A genetic test<\/a> could predict whether a child will be obese as an adult.<\/p>\n A global study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, found that the risk of severe obesity<\/a> in adulthood can be identified in early childhood through a polygenic risk score (PGS).<\/p>\n The PGS acts as a \u201ccalculator\u201d that combines the impact of different genetic risk variants that a person can carry, according to researchers.<\/p>\n YOUR DNA COULD BE STOPPING YOU FROM LOSING WEIGHT, NEW STUDY SUGGESTS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The test can be performed on children before their weight begins to shift, as early as age 5, according to a press release from the University of Copenhagen\u2019s Novo\u202fNordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research (CBMR).<\/p>\n The researchers suggest that this may support early prevention strategies for obesity, like lifestyle interventions<\/a> at a younger age.<\/p>\n \u201cOverall, these data show that PGSs have the potential to improve obesity prediction, particularly when implemented early in life,\u201d the researchers concluded in the study.<\/p>\n Lead study author Roelof Smit, assistant professor at the NNF Center, wrote in a press release statement that the score is \u201cso powerful\u201d due to its ability to predict adult obesity \u201cwell before other risk factors start to shape their weight later in childhood.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIntervening at this point can have a huge impact,\u201d he commented.<\/p>\n The major study was an international collaboration of human genetics researchers<\/a>, consisting of more than 600 scientists from 500 global institutions, as well as the consumer genetics and research company 23andMe, Inc.<\/p>\n After gathering genetic data from more than five million people, the scientists created what\u2019s described as the largest and most diverse genetic dataset<\/a> in reported history, using that to create the PGS.<\/p>\n The results showed that the PGS was twice as effective as the previous best test in predicting obesity risk, accounting for approximately 17.6% of a child\u2019s risk of developing a high BMI (body mass index) as an adult.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThis new polygenic score is a dramatic improvement in predictive power and a leap forward in the genetic prediction of obesity risk, which brings us much closer to clinically useful genetic testing,\u201d study co-author Ruth Loos, a professor from CBMR at the University of Copenhagen, said in a statement.<\/p>\n The scientists also discovered that those with a higher genetic risk of obesity were more responsive to lifestyle weight-loss<\/a> interventions.<\/p>\n