PPARGC1A and obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency: There has also been evidence that suggests Ppargc1a activity may be significantly influenced by sex, although results to that direction have been contradictory with the rs8192678 allele influencing the risk of developing obesity in men but not in women, while in female mice Ppargc1a expression is estrogen regulated and has a protective effect against obesity-induced oxidative damage [55, 56].