Exercise can prevent inherited obesity & obesity raises injury risk: Two studies

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDNov 2 2011

Exercise can bust obesity gene

A new study has shown that having an obesity gene should not mean absolute obesity for individuals. The gene may be countered by physical activity.

British researchers have analyzed data from 45 studies including more than 218,000 adults finding that those carrying a specific fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) gene that gives a person a genetic predisposition to obesity can be substantially reduced by living a physically active lifestyle. Researchers at the Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit found that the effect of the FTO gene on obesity risk is nearly 30 per cent weaker among physically active people than those inactive.

Generally, those carrying the FTO gene were significantly more likely to become obese, however upon being physically active, a person was 27 per cent less likely to be obese. The researchers concluded that their findings contrasted with previous studies that suggest genetic influences are un-modifiable. It was hoped that the research would bring them a step closer to more personalized health care by identifying people who will benefit most from such targeted treatment.

Dr Lennert Veerman from the University of Queensland said testing for genetic traits associated with obesity would make no difference to the advice given to an obese person, with the focus always firm on exercise and a healthy diet. “A focus on individual genetic traits is a mere distraction and reinforces the popular view of obesity as a problem that individuals have to deal with, rather than one that requires societal action,” Dr Veerman said.

“Our findings are highly relevant for public health,” the authors wrote in the study, released Tuesday in the journal PLoS Medicine. “They emphasize that [physical activity] is a particularly effective way of controlling body weight in individuals with a genetic predisposition towards obesity,” and it goes against the belief that genetics are unchangeable.

Obese more at risk of injuries

Australian researchers additionally found that obese people are generally more likely to injure themselves, and will take much longer to recover from their injuries, which will also be more severe than that of a healthier person. The report, “Obesity and injury in Australia: a review of the literature” found that obesity and injury are major health burdens on a society and that the two are most likely linked.

Obesity not only increased the risk of injury, but being obese increased the risk of incidence of workplace injury and lengthened the hospital stay of obese patients as significantly longer, according to the report.

Obese workers were less productive, and more likely to take sick leave than non-obese workers. The report cited previous studies that found the higher prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing among obese people has been identified as a contributing factor to increased incidence of transport accidents in obese people

Professor James Harrison of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's National Injury Surveillance Unit said the evidence also pointed to the same results in obese children, where the risk of falls and therefore the risk of face, tooth and musculoskeletal injuries also increased with injuries.

“The probability of falls, trips or stumbles rises with obesity. However the increased risk of falls in the obese may be somewhat offset by the possible protective effects of body fat as cushioning and of increased bone density in weight-bearing joints,” Professor Harrison said.

Professor Harrison said obese patients admitted to hospital are also more likely to suffer complications of care such as pneumonia, renal failure and sepsis, and may also have greater requirements for respiratory support.