Published: 18:27 BST, 7 August 2026 | Updated: 18:56 BST, 7 August 2026<\/p>\n
It's well known that some people seem to be naturally skinny.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While some agonize over calorie counting and exercise to maintain their figures, others hardly have to pay attention to their diets to stay slim, all while staving off chronic disease.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now scientists say it's not just luck, but could actually be down to a single 'skinny gene' that may help thousands of Americans keep excess weight off, even without dieting or GLP-1 drugs.<\/p>\n
In a new study, researchers looked at Folliculin Interacting Protein 1, or FNIP1. Normally this gene regulates cellular energy and metabolism, controlling how cells burn or store fuel.<\/p>\n
But one in 7,000 people, or one million worldwide, carry a broken copy of this gene that means the body burns calories more easily.<\/p>\n
The team, from\u00a0Regeneron Genetics Center in New York, analyzed genetic data from more than one million people across three continents, finding 150 participants with an FNIP1 mutation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Researchers found those participants had lower blood sugar, decreased cholesterol, less fat around their livers and about a 60 percent lower risk of metabolic conditions like obesity and diabetes.<\/p>\n
This had nothing to do with classic weight loss measures like diet and exercise. Instead, they were simply burning more calories due to the mutation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A rare gene mutation has been shown to help burn more calories, aiding weight loss and reducing the risk of heart and other metabolic diseases<\/p>\n
'These individuals consume, store and utilize energy more efficiently than individuals without those mutations, and that's the protective factor,' Luca Lotta, study co-senior author and geneticist at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, told Scientific American.\u00a0<\/p>\n
'Nowadays, we are living in a very calorie-rich environment, and historically there\u2019s no precedent for this,' he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
'These incredibly rare mutations, which might have been unfavorable for many millennia, are now favorable to the body.'<\/p>\n
Hi, I'm Emma Bardwell, a nutritionist with more than 15 years' experience helping people improve their health and lose weight.<\/p>\n
The only way to conclusively determine that you have the gene is to get genetic sequencing blood tests, which can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 out of pocket depending on insurance.<\/p>\n