KUSA - It could be a big break in finding a way to stop obesity.

Researchers in Colorado say they've discovered getting rid of a specific gene in mice prevents them from becoming obese.

University of Colorado School of Medicine researchers found even when fed a high-fat diet, the mice didn't become obese.

Mice would normally eat voraciously, but the ones without the PLIN-2 gene showed unusual restraint and were more active.

The two-year study, funded by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was published last month in The Journal of Lipid Research.

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