Researchers at Case Western Reserve University report they may have found a genetic link that influences a person's predisposition both to obesity and sleep apnea.

The researchers genotyped 349 people in Greater Cleveland who are among 3,000 taking part in a 12-year study of sleep apnea and related health problems. Two-thirds of people with apnea are overweight.

While the researchers did not identify specific genes, they reported finding areas of the genome involved in metabolic processes that are associated with sleep apnea and body weight.

"There seem to be genes that influence both your predisposition to obesity and predisposition to sleep apnea," said Dr. Susan Redline, professor of pediatrics at Case Western Reserve. "A major question in our minds is the extent to which these conditions might be related through common genetic mechanisms."

A report on the study is scheduled to appear in an upcoming issue of American Journal of Human Genetics.

Other sources: Cleveland Plain Dealer