Can You Fight the 'Obesity Gene'?
Categories: Advice, Health, Fitness
PrintCan You Fight the 'Obesity Gene'?">
Hold on a second. There's a gene for obesity? Really?! Wow. Man, that's bad news. Wait (panic kicks in)... What if I have it? Oh, I bet I have it. Great. So what, you mean I'm just "destined" to be fatter than your average bear? Seriously, what a cruel twist of fate that is.Was that your reaction when you found out that there was actually a gene that could make you fatter? For those of you who don't have a clue what I'm on about, here's what happened: In April 2007, news broke about a gene found to increase the susceptibility to obesity. The UK research team discovered the gene (known as FTO) in a group of 2,000 diabetics while conducting a genome-wide search for susceptibility to type-2 diabetes. The FTO gene was strongly linked to body mass index (BMI).
The strength of the genetic influence depends on whether you have inherited one or two copies of the FTO gene variant. For the unluckiest, who have inherited two copies, you are likely to weigh, on average, 7 lbs (3 kg) more (and are about 70 percent more likely to be obese) than those who do not have the FTO variant at all. For those who have escaped with just one copy, you could weigh, on average, 2.6 lbs (1.2 kg) more than the genetically risk-free group. Sadly, the odds of escaping without a single copy, my friend, are not good. Over 50 percent of people of European descent will have one or two copies, with 16 percent of those having both.
You can imagine how the news of an obesity gene was received amongst us physical-activity-and-health-promoting activists! As if it wasn't challenging enough to convince the masses that physical activity has its rightful place alongside diet in tackling obesity. We wondered: Would the establishment of an obesity gene cause people who've struggled with weight to throw in the towel and accept defeat -- Genetics: 1, Human effort: 0? Or, would it spark fierce determination in individuals to take better care of themselves to counteract this genetic predisposition? And still, we wondered: could a physically active lifestyle override a genetic predisposition to obesity? That would make for a pretty happy physical-activity-and-health-promotion camp, indeed!
Well, the good news is that physical activity can trump the obesity gene. A U.S research team measured physical activity levels in a group of Amish people, some who had the obesity gene and some who did not. Those that had the gene, but were very physically active, weighed about the same as others who did not carry the gene. (Take that, obesity gene!) A high level of physical activity levels the playing field, equalizing the risk of obesity between those who have copies of the FTO variant and those who don't. But beware: In less active people, the association between the gene and increased BMI was strong.
The Amish are particularly interesting -- a group that has escaped many trappings of modern, industrialized society. Most are involved in physically-demanding occupations and abstain from modern conveniences such as automobiles, televisions, computers and dishwashers. The Amish are much more physically active and leaner than the average Canadian.
Their lifestyle, as David Bassett (lead researcher) reports, indicates that physical activity played a critical role in keeping our ancestors fit and healthy. We could learn a lot from them. He makes a good point by saying that it's difficult to expect that we could return to a lifestyle where moderate-to-vigorous activity dominates our workplace. We need to recognize that the modern environment has changed for the worst in promoting good activity and health. And honestly, we need to be proactive!
Here's what it comes down to: It's up to you and me to adapt to this reality and find opportunities to become (and stay) physically active. (Check out my previous That's Fit.ca post to find out how to get the physical activity you need to stay healthy.) Have some suggestions for fellow readers? Post them. Everyone needs a little bit of help sometime. Remember: Physical activity can deliver a huge KO to the obesity gene and put that bad boy in its place. Human effort: 1, Obesity gene: 0.
This story was written by Dr. Michelle Stone, who is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Faculty of Physical Education and Health at the University of Toronto.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
James S. Fell 3-11-2010 @ 10:38AM
Great article! And even if you have both, an average of 7 pounds really isn't that much when you consider how many people need to lose 30 to 50 or more pounds.
An the Amish aren't the only ones in this scenario. I've copied this over from my genetics chapter:
A prime example of how circumstances affect BMI is that of the Pima Indians. A group of Pima Indians in Arizona were compared with Pima in an impoverished and remote area of Mexico. The two groups have a shared genetic background (a background that in theory is programmed to gain weight easily), but their circumstances are not at all alike. The Arizona Pima have a lifestyle that requires far less manual labor and provides access to ample high-Calorie foods. As a result, the Arizona tribe has one of the highest rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes in the world. By contrast, the Mexican Pima tribe had an average BMI of 25.9 for women (just barely “overweight,” and far from “obese”) and 23.6 for men (well within the “normal” range). The Mexican Pima live a spartan existence with high levels of physical activity and modest caloric intakes. As a result, they are proof that even though programmed to be overweight (a “thrifty gene” survival response developed over thousands of years of living through lean times),(1) these Pima remain at healthy BMI levels because of their lifestyle. Granted, that lifestyle is one of poverty and wasn’t made by choice, but from a genetic perspective it provides proof that no one is destined to be fat, some people just have to work harder at controlling their weight. For an unlucky portion, they have to work exceptionally hard.
1. Caroline Fox et al., “Is a low leptin concentration, a low resting metabolic rate, or both the expression of the ‘thrifty genotype’? Results from Mexican Pima Indians,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 68, 1998, p. 1053; Bouchard (Ed.), Physical Activity and Obesity, p. 13.
Genetics play a big role in who we are. Not everyone gets to be an astronaut or an Olympic athlete when they grow up, but you don't find out what your true genetic potential is while sitting on the couch.
Best regards,
James S. Fell
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Andres65 3-14-2010 @ 6:38PM
I do strenous exercise on average 40 minutes each day 5-6 days a week and I have a BMI over 30. I am sick of lazy skinny people lecturing me on how to keep thin. Even when I diet and up my exercise routine - the weight comes off slowly and then piles back on if I have a bad weekend. My excerise routine keeps me away from my job and family and I still have nothing to show for it. I can well understand why people just give up.
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