A gene variant that helps regulate body weight could aid in tackling obesity, scientists have said.

The ZFHX3 gene mutation – thought to exist in just 4% of people – has been found to control parts of the brain responsible for appetite.

Scientists at Nottingham Trent University and MRC Harwell have uncovered the mechanism which allows the mutated gene to play a key role in regulating appetite, weight and the insulin hormone – which helps keep blood sugar under control and prevents diabetes complications – in mice.

The team found that it can affect a region of the brain known as the hypothalamus – which controls appetite, food intake, hunger and thirst – by switching on and off the function of other genes there.

The researchers said understanding this pathway, which has been reported in the journal FASEB (Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, could pave the way for new targeted weight loss therapies.