This article is best summarized by the Metagenics Institute. “In the US, with more than 60% of adults and over a third of all children considered overweight or obese, the struggle to lose weight is a difficult battle. This is made more evident by statistics indicating that as many as 80% of people who lose weight regain some, or all, of the weight back within one year. One of the biggest complaints about weight loss that physicians hear from their patients is, “I guess it’s my genes—I’m just meant to be fat!” However, a growing body of evidence in scientific literature has shown that inherited genetic risk for obesity can be reduced by increased exercise. In this study, led by Tiang Wang of Tulane University in Louisiana, researchers analyzed cohorts from the Nurses Health Study (9,390 women) and the Health Professionals Follow Up Study (5, 291 men). The data indicated that increasing physical activity may decrease genetic susceptibility to weight gain.
Why is this Clinically Relevant?
Obesity is nearly epidemic in the US today in both adults and children Obesity is linked to more than 60 chronic diseases. This study shows that physical activity is critical to weight management no matter the person’s genetic risk for obesity. Clinicians can encourage their patients to increase physical activity and reduce genetic risk for obesity and/or overweight”.
So get moving in whatever manner you can! Start out slow and gradually increase your activity. Yes, you will be sore, stiff and achy and that is expected. The key is finding something you like to do and do it consistently.
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Diabetes. 2017 Jul 12. pii: db170071. doi: 10.2337/db17-0071
