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The exercise found to beat the obesity gene
Why is it that for some people, losing weight and keeping it off is, well, a piece of cake, while for others, even if they never touch that cake, they just can’t seem to drop the pounds or maintain a healthy weight?
For those of us who put the pounds on more easily and just can’t seem to get them off again, there’s good news. Sort of.
It appears that some of us actually have an “obesity gene.” This sounds like very, very bad news, when in fact, it’s not as bad as it sounds.
For women especially, being genetically predisposed to obesity simply means that “there is just a higher wall to climb,” says Yann C. Klimentidis, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
The “wall” means that women who tend toward overweight have to exercise more to get to their desired weight, and they need to pay closer attention to their food choices.
One thing they need to take note of is what the research tells us about which type of exercise will take the weight off and keep it off.
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Your genes are not your fate
When I took high school biology, I got a distinct impression that my genes were my fate. I had a gene that gave me my green eyes and brown hair. I certainly couldn’t have opted to be blonde and blue-eyed.
So, if I had a gene that said I would probably get cancer, then there was little or nothing I could do about it except await my fate.
Now, of course, I know better.
The science of epigenetics has shown us that we have a lot of control over how our genes are expressed, in other words, how much they actually deliver their encoded messages and affect our health.
For example, if Alzheimer’s or cancer “runs in your family,” there is still much you can do to keep it from affecting you specifically.
This is also the case with obesity.
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Jogging beats the obesity gene
A group of public health researchers in Taiwan analyzed information from more than 18,000 people ages 30 to 70, including a blood sample that showed who among them was in fact predisposed to being overweight.
Each person also reported on the physical activities they engaged in regularly, how often they did so and for how long. A few activities really stood out.
Mountain climbing, yoga, and exercise walking affected the impact of genetics on a person’s body mass index (BMI). Those with the “obesity gene” could still lower their BMI with these activities.
But jogging was the only exercise regimen that lowered body mass index and body fat percentage (BFP).
More importantly, people who jogged had a smaller hip circumference than people with similar genetic risk who did not jog.
With new health guidelines telling us that your waistline matters more than your weight when it comes to beating metabolic syndrome, this means that jogging may be the exercise most suited to help us prevent diabetes and heart disease.
But what if I hate jogging?
If you can no sooner see yourself in a jogging suit than in a suit of armor, don’t despair. There are still activities you can do that are enjoyable, and that will help keep your weight under control, even if your genetics say otherwise.
Mountain climbing, walking, power walking, ballroom dancing, and yoga all lowered BMI in people with a genetic risk of obesity.
On the other hand, cycling and swimming, while they burn calories, did not seem to counteract the obesity gene.
Mind you, that doesn’t mean that these activities can’t help you control your weight. They certainly can. They just don’t seem to offset the effect of a predisposition to being overweight.
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Sources:
- Performing different kinds of physical exercise differentially attenuates the genetic effects on obesity measures: Evidence from 18,424 Taiwan Biobank participants — PLOS Genetics
- Jogging Is the Best Weapon Against ‘Obesity Genes’ — Live Science
- There Are at Least 79 Obesity ‘Syndromes’ — Live Science
By Joyce Hollman
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