We’ve all heard of the person who struggles with their weight who believes that due to genetic factors they are bound to be overweight for the remainder of their lives. A new study from the UK however indicates that regular exercise can reduce a person's genetic predisposition to obesity by 40%.
They reviewed 20,430 people and focused on the genetic variants known to increase the incidence of obesity. On average most people had inherited 10 to 13 of these variants, but some had more than 17 while others had fewer than six.
The participants also provided information about their levels of physical activity.
On average, each additional obesity-related genetic variant was associated with an increase in body mass index (BMI) equivalent to 445 grams (nearly half a kilogram of body weight) for a 170cm tall person.
This effect was found to be greater in sedentary people than in active people. Those with physically active lifestyles had an increase of 379 grams per genetic variant. In contrast those who were inactive had a net average weight gain of 592 grams per genetic variant.
In other words, activity lowered the effect of the genetic predisposition to weight gain by 36% per variant!
The researchers also found the addition of each obesity susceptibility variant increased the odds of obesity by 1.1-fold. However this risk was 40% lower for active people compared to inactive people.
This study clearly illustrates the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle for people who are at an increased genetic risk of developing obesity.
Reference: Public Library of Science, news release, August 31st, 2010.
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