Exercise Trumps "Fat" Genes New Study Reports

A study published in The Archives of Internal Medicine this month found that physical activity seems to override the effect of "fat" genes in determining whether a person becomes overweight or not.

The Study
Researchers at the University of Maryland studied 704 Amish people in Lancaster County, Pa. The scientists identified those people who carried the FTO gene variant (which has been associated with obesity in other large studies). Like the Amish, 30% to 50% of all Americans who are of European descent carry this "fat" gene. Yet among the Amish in this study, in spite of a diet high in fat, calories, and sugar, even those with the "fat" gene avoided becoming obese. The researchers concluded it was physical activity that controlled their weight. Of those with the "fat" gene, the more active individuals weighed 15 pounds less than the least active.

The Amish are farmers and carpenters and don't use mechanized machinery, so they are more physically active in their day-to-day lives than most of us. The researchers measured their activity levels with battery-operated monitoring devices worn round-the-clock for a week. They found that Amish men walk an average of 18,000 steps a day and Amish women 14,000. This translates to between three to four hours of moderate physical activity a day. In the case of the Amish, much of this exercise is "free", that is the physical activity is a normal part of their daily lives. They are not setting aside time to "exercise."

My Patients' Reaction
When I tell patients in my practice about the Amish study and about the 3 to 4 hours of physical activity a day - I get withering looks that say, "Don't even suggest such a thing-never in a million years!" All I'm asking is for you to hear and consider the information, what you choose to do with it is entirely up to you.

My Experiment
I decided to check out for myself just what 14,000 to 18,000 steps feels like.
My experiment was to go for a walk-not a hard or vigorous walk-just a walk. I put on cool clothes (its hot here in Florida in September), good walking shoes, I attached a pedometer to my waist, grabbed my iPod and set off. I am fortunate to live in a walkable neighborhood. (I'll write more some other time about the personal pleasures and emotional benefits I enjoy whenever I get outdoors for a walk.) I walked until my legs told me I had gone far enough. That turned out to be about 7 miles and it took me 2 hours and 15 minutes. My pedometer said I had walked 14,874 steps.

So I matched the Amish women in under 2 1/2 hours-not three or four. And I still had plenty of time to relax, enjoy the rest of the day, and meet up with friends later. I now found that if I can do an hour of exercise before work most days of the week and then add just a little more time to my workouts on my days off, I do pretty well in terms of getting enough exercise to keep me healthy. Also, with this amount of activity, if I'm sensible about food I can eat pretty much whatever I want (within reason) without feeling overly restricted and without gaining weight.

Not a bad way to live at all. What about you? Can you get your activity level up to the Amish?

This information is offered for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, or treat. For that please seek direct care from a health professional.