British scientists have reported 14 ‘skinny genes’ may work together to assist weight loss. Researchers at the University of Essex, whose study was published in Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, found that while healthy eating, exercise and getting enough quality sleep are important for maintaining a healthy weight, so are some non-modifiable factors such as genetics.
Lead author Dr Henry Chung told medicalnewstoday.com: ‘There are multiple factors that cause obesity and excess weight gain. More importantly, there always seem to be variations in how much weight people can lose even when doing the same exercise. Therefore we look to genetics to explain these differences and how this can be used to shape future interventions.’
The researchers recruited 38 adult participants between 20 and 40, who were randomly assigned to either an ‘exercise training’ group (which used a running program) or ‘control’ group for 8 weeks; both were told not to change their usual diets and not to do any additional exercise.
Participants in the ‘exercise’ group who had the most ‘skinny genes’ lost up to 5kg during the study, while those without them dropped an average 2kg; all participants were also screened for 1,000 gene variants, which identified a combination of 14 that may improve weight loss.
In particular, the PARGC1A gene that encodes PGC-1α (important in cellular energy metabolism) seemed key to weight loss and was identified in study participants who lost the most weight.
Dr Chung said: ‘All genes identified in our study are common “health- and fitness- related genes”… related to energy balance and the metabolic pathways that use
fuels in the body. These genes have been assessed separately, but our study showed they all contributed/interacted together to affect weight loss… Someone with these ‘advantageous genes’ might have a better fat-burning system/ability during exercise compared to someone who does not.’
