Many With ‘Fat’ Gene May Need Exercise

More than half of all people of European descent have one or two copies of a “fat” gene variation, but lots of exercise may help, researchers say.

British scientists reported last year that individuals with two copies of the FTO gene variant are, on average, 7 pounds heavier and 67 percent more likely to be obese than those who don’t.

University of Maryland researchers found this same link between variations of the FTO gene and increased risk of obesity in their study of 704 Amish men and women.

But in examining the gene in this unique group of people with a similar genetic background and active lifestyle, the researchers also found that high levels of physical activity helped to counteract the gene’s effects.

“Having multiple copies of FTO gene variants had no effect on body weight for people who were the most physically active, regardless of whether they were men or women,” Evadnie Rampersaud, a former postdoctoral fellow at the University of Maryland School of Medicine now at the University of Miami Institute for Human Genomics, said in a statement.

“But in less active people, the association between the gene and increased BMI was significant.”

The findings are published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.