Unfortunately, one of the most significant risk factors for obesity is having an overweight mother. When a mother is overweight while being pregnant, she will pass on many genes that promote obesity, such as those that regulate feelings of satiety.
Luckily, however, a new study has found that children who exercise may be able to “turn off” the genes that contribute to obesity and prevent the effects.
In the study, half the subjects underwent a exercise program, while the control group remained sedentary. After only three weeks of following the exercise program, the subjects had improved sensitivity to the hormone leptin and were consuming significantly less calories.
The authors suggested that even small amounts of exercise for children can lead to hormonal effects that may last them for the rest of their lives.
Conclusion
There is no question that many genes can increase one’s likelihood for obesity, but most people severely underestimate how much of an effect lifestyle has on gene expression. Individuals who are born from overweight parents can suppress the “fat genes” that they are born with by exercising regularly and following a healthy lifestyle.
References
1 Sun B, et al. Early postweaning exercise improves central leptin sensitivity in offspring of rat dams fed high-fat diet during pregnancy and lactation. AJP: Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. 2013; 305(9): R1076.