A new study has revealed that an obese person's urine has a different chemical makeup than the urine of a healthy-weight individual. The study, published in Science Translational Medicine, could be used to help discover new treatments for the illnesses that are linked with obesity like type-2 diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular problems and gout.

During the study, the researchers analyzed urine samples of more than two thousand males and women of all weights. The motive behind the analysis was to determine if there are chemical markers in urine that link with weight.

According to the researchers, they found 25 chemical markers in the urine that were associated with the body mass index (BMI) of the participants in the study. The researchers have called the25 markers a 'metabolic signature' of obesity.

In a statement, Dr. Paul Elliott, head of the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at Imperial College London and co-author of the study, said that the study's results pointed to patterns of metabolic markers in the urine linked with obesity.

The researchers said that nine of the markers that they found were compounds that burn up bacteria that produce when they break down food. They also said that some of the markers were linked to muscle metabolism. The study could support idea that not only diet, but exercise also plays a major role in controlling obesity, as per the researchers.

The researchers said they also found that higher blood-sugar levels were associated with high BMI, and some of the participants' levels were high enough to indicate undiagnosed diabetes. Elliott said, "It may be possible to identify non-obese people who have this metabolic signature of obesity in their urine. These people could be at risk of developing obesity and other metabolic diseases, and might benefit from personalized preventative interventions".