The Effect Of Obesity-Related Gene Can Be Blunted By High Levels Of Physical Activity, Study Suggests

“High levels of physical activity can help to counteract a gene that normally causes people to gain weight, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. They analyzed gene variants and activity levels of the Old Order Amish in Lancaster County, Pa., and found that the obesity-related FTO gene had no effect on individuals who were the most physically active. ‘Our results strongly suggest that the increased risk of obesity due to genetic susceptibility can be blunted through physical activity,’ the authors conclude. ‘These findings emphasize the important role of physical activity in public health efforts to combat obesity, particularly in genetically susceptible individuals.’ The results of the study are being published in the Sept. 8, 2008, issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. Soren Snitker, M.D., Ph.D., the senior author and an assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, says, ‘Our study shows that a high level of physical activity can 'level the playing field,' equalizing the risk of obesity between those who have copies of the FTO gene variant and those who don't.”

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