BOSTON -- Researchers at Boston University and Harvard have uncovered new proof that obesity may, in fact, be in your genes, and that could lead to new ways to treat this growing and potentially deadly epidemic.

NewsCenter 5's Heather Unruh reported that America has been fighting the battle of the bulge for years. Since 1980, the number of obese Americans has more than doubled. Is it just our super-sized, sedentary lifestyles or are certain people genetically predisposed to being fat?

"It's pretty clear from population studies that there were such genes that would be common and elevate your risk a little bit, but they hadn't been found yet," Boston University School of Medicine's Dr. Michael Christman said.

A team of scientists led by researchers from Boston University School of Medicine studied DNA samples from participants in the Framingham Heart Study. They found a slight genetic difference in about 10 percent of the population that increased their risk for obesity by 30 percent -- regardless of race or age.

"What that tells us is that while this gene elevates your risk of obesity modestly, if it's present in 10 percent of populations around the world, then the public health impact can be large," Christman said.

Researchers hope their findings will allow drug companies to target the specific genetic pathways to obesity and create a pill that will allow obese people to lose weight without having to resort to risky gastric bypass surgery.

"I think where this is most important is for those people who have tried to reduce weight by dieting and by exercising and are now faced with more drastic measures. But I think everyone knows that the first thing one should do is eat less and exercise more, and if that doesn't work, then other approaches have to be considered," Boston University School of Medicine's Dr. Alan Herbert said.

The research is ongoing. Scientists hope it will lead to more information about who is at risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease -- and uncover a skinny gene as well.