Times of India
17 September 2010
By Swati Shinde
Pune, India

Are genes related to obesity? Do Ayurvedic drugs work for obesity? The National Research Institute of Basic Ayurvedic Sciences, Pune, set up by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is working on the correlation between genes and proteins and the differential aspects to come up with the right answers.

The researchers will study the correlation of genes and proteins in a normal person and an obese person, and the result will be compared.

If the genes and proteins do not correlate, then the study will prove that genes are not related to obesity, which will be a major breakthrough.

The study will also explore the molecular mechanisms of Ayurvedic treatment in obesity. It will focus on differential aspects of genes and proteins.

Rajesh Dabur, molecular biologist and acting director of the research institute who is leading the project, informed, "We will be comparing a normal person and an obese person. We will profile the genes and proteins of the two people and note down the results of both the persons before and after treatment. We will compare how drugs react in the various paths of the body and which path it exactly affects. This will help us identify what changes occur due to Ayurvedic drugs."

The research, which started off recently, will go on for another three years. Research officer T K Mandal said, "The study will try to find out if the correlation between genes and proteins is same or not. If no correlation is found between the two, then it will prove that genes are not related to obesity, as it is considered now. This will be a major breakthrough in the study."

The researchers will also study whether Ayurvedic drugs can really control obesity. The researcher duo said that this kind of research has not been initiated yet, and it is important to carry this study in ayurveda.