article_snippet: If you can’t get rid of your pot belly, no matter how hard you try, blame your Plexin D1 gene.
article_snippet: Scientists believe your Plexin D1 gene tells fat to gather around the middle, rather than the bottom and thighs.
article_snippet: it raises the possibility of pills that stop fat from being stored around the waist – meaning an end to pot bellies and muffin tops.
article_snippet: Unlike the fat that pads out pear-shapes, belly fat wraps around the body’s vital organs and produces hormones and other chemicals that tamper with blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar levels.
article_snippet: To get to the bottom of how fat is stored, the US researchers studied zebra fish, tiny tropical fish whose transparent bodies make it see the US researchers inner workings.
article_snippet: By using a dye that turned fat cells fluorescent, the US researchers showed zebra fish, tiny tropical fish whose transparent bodies make it see their inner workings without a gene called Plexin D1 stored less fat around the US researchers abdomen than usual.
article_snippet: Fat around the middle is dangerous to health as health wraps health around vital organs, and raises the risk of health problems including heart disease, diabetes and strokes .
article_snippet: With the Plexin-1 gene thought to have a similar role in people, the research paves the way for a drug that stops people from growing big bellies.
highlights_snippet: Discovery raises possibility of pills to stop fat being stored on the belly .
  
highlights_snippet: Unlike fat  on hips and thighs, belly fat wraps itself around vital organs .
  