Some people may be able to blame their beer bellies at least partially on genes, a new study out of Sweden suggests.

　　Researchers found that a particular variant in a gene linked to fat metabolism may help fight flab around the middle. In their study of middle-aged men, those without the variant had wider waistlines, on average.

　　The gene governs a protein called apolipoprotein A-II (apo A-II), a component of HDL (“good”) cholesterol. Research in mice has suggested that, among other metabolism-related jobs, apo A-II may help control body fat accumulation. But its role in the human body is not fully understood.

　　To dig deeper, Dr. Ferdinand M. van 't Hooft and colleagues at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm analyzed the apo A-II gene in 624 healthy 50-year-old men. The investigators found that men with a variant dubbed 265C were leaner in the middle and showed greater metabolism of certain blood fats. 大肚腩也是基因问题 　　一项瑞典的科学研究称，某些人的“啤酒肚”可能与基因有一定联系。

　　科学家发现，一种与脂肪代谢有关的基因特殊变体能够帮助人们对抗“中年发福”的现象。平均来说，那些缺少这种基因变体的中年男子就会有啤酒肚。

　　这种基因主要控制一种名叫阿朴脂蛋白A-Ⅱ的蛋白质，而这种蛋白质在人体中的作用并不十分清楚，科学家表示它可能可以帮助人体控制的脂肪积累。

　　为了深入研究这一问题，科学家对624名健康的50岁男子体内的阿朴脂蛋白A-Ⅱ基因进行了研究，结果发现凡是这种基因内拥有一种叫做265C的变体的男子都比较瘦，对某些血脂的代谢能力也较强。