Increasingly, researchers are focusing on lifestyle choices and the effects on genetics. They believe that exercise can alter genes to increase your chances of maintaining a healthy weight and lower your risk for chronic diseases. In addition, it has been linked to a lower incidence of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and stroke.
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen found that changes to the structure of DNA may provide benefits from exercise. These changes to DNA are called epigenetic. The study used technology to analyze 480,000 positions of the genome. They discovered that 7,000 of these positions are associated with epigenetic changes. These modifications turn on genes that are necessary for a person’s adaptation to exercise. In addition, exercise may influence the expression of muscle work genes.
The study’s authors say that this research is the first to look at how exercise alters the genome. “We can now identify specific genes that are affected by physical activity,” says co-author Kristine Williams, assistant professor of biology at Washington State University. The new findings could help explain how exercise can improve health, as well as lead to drugs that provide similar benefits.
In the study, the researchers looked at methylation in genes that were associated with metabolic risk factors. These included genes that are associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. They also looked at a region on the genome that is known to play a role in immature fat cells, which are known to store fat. The researchers also looked at the effect of exercise on the methylation pattern of these genes. They found that the methylation patterns changed depending on the intensity of the exercise. The longer the exercise, the more methylation changes were observed. The changes to methylation occurred rapidly.
The study looked at methyl groups in fat cells of 23 slightly overweight men. These changes were compared with changes in the methylation profile of sedentary women. The results showed that the methylation profile of the sedentary women was much lower than that of the men. Using fitness trackers, the researchers were able to measure their participants’ physical activity.
The results suggest that exercise may change skeletal muscle genes and lead to an increased release of creatine kinase, a protein that is associated with improved cardiovascular function and insulin sensitivity. A high level of physical activity also correlated with a lower body mass index. Similarly, more physically active siblings had a lower body mass index and a smaller waist size.
Similarly, exercise has been shown to modify the genes of immature fat cells, which can be converted into fat-burning cells. In addition, the study found that exercise increased ATP turnover, a key factor in the metabolism of muscle cells. It also increased the production of proteins that support higher growth, as well as the breakdown of sugar and fat. Among the genes that were altered were PPARGC1A, which encodes peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1a), which regulates genes involved in energy metabolism.
