To determine whether this was the case for CNTF signalling in patients with obesity, we measured plasma CNTFRα and found a progressive increase in median CNTFRα values from the Control group to the Obesity group and the Obesity and Diabetes group, although the difference achieved significance only between patients with obesity and diabetes compared with the Control subjects (Fig. 4A). This evidence concerns the gene CNTF and obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency.