The Soapbox: Obesity study in the UK, women’s tennis in Saudi Arabia, peace initiative between Switzerland and Russia

The Soapbox is a weekly column by WSN covering major news developments abroad. Global consciousness for a global university.

Maisie Zipfel, Deputy News Editor

April 5, 2024

The Soapbox is a weekly news column rounding up stories worth reading for a global university. (Illustration by Max Van Hosen)

In the United Kingdom, study identifies genes that may contribute to obesity

A study led by the United Kingdom’s Medical Research Council identified genetic variants in two specific genes that may severely impact obesity risk factors. The genetic variants, located within the BSN and APBA1 proteins, are some of the earliest recognized genetic factors linked to obesity where the risk is not noticed until adulthood.

The researchers, from the MRC’s Epidemiology and Metabolic Disease Units based at the University of Cambridge, conducted their study by performing exome sequencing — a type of genetic sequencing used to understand the cause of symptoms or diseases — on body mass index samples of over 500,000 individuals. The study found a possible new “biological mechanism” that is different from previously researched genetic variants that interrupt the brain’s appetite control system, which neither gene influences.

The identified variants in the BSN gene, also called Bassoon, are rare, impacting only one in 6,500 adults. These variants can elevate the risk of obesity by up to six times in adults, and they may also accelerate the development of Type 2 diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The impact of variants in the APBA1 gene on risk factors is considered “only nominally significant.”

Researchers have hypothesized that the two genes influence obesity by playing a role in transmitting signals within the brain. They also contribute to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, so they may play a role in cell damage as the brain ages and disrupt connections between cells that control appetite.

“We have identified two genes with variants that have the most profound impact on obesity risk at a population level we’ve ever seen, but perhaps more importantly, that the variation in Bassoon is linked to adult-onset and not childhood obesity,” MRC professor Giles Yeo, study author based at the MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit, said. “Thus these findings give us a new appreciation of the relationship between genetics, neurodevelopment and obesity.”

In Saudi Arabia, record level prize money allocated toward WTA finals

On Thursday, the Women’s Tennis Association announced that the WTA Finals will take place in Riyadh for the next three years. The prize money for winners also increased from $9 million to a record-high $15.25 million, with additional increases planned for 2025 and 2026.

The announcement follows months of speculation and controversy about the inclusion of Saudi Arabia in the WTA calendar. The decision to hold the finals in Riyadh has been met with mixed reactions from players, fans, and human rights organizations. Some see it as a positive step for women’s sports in the region, while others criticize it as a move to sportswash the country’s human rights record.