quote:

Vigorous physical activity could blunt the effects of a common gene linked to obesity, claim US researchers.

Carrying two copies of the FTO gene significantly increases the chances of becoming obese.

However, a study carried out among the US Amish community found an active lifestyle appeared to remove this risk

quote:

Who has 3-4 hours to be active?

That was the first thing I thought. My husband has a physical job, so he gets 7-8 hours of heavy physical activity a day, but if he had a desk or sitting job(like many, many people do), there would be no way he could devote 2-3 hours to exercise. Not if he wanted time at home and any life(or sleep) to speak of.

I definitely know we don't get adequate amounts of exercise as Americans, but I thought it was funny how they tossed out 2-3 hours like that was totally doable.

quote:

Who has 3-4 hours to be active?

quote:

ORIGINAL: agapetos

quote:

Who has 3-4 hours to be active?

You're probably right and it doesn't make it clear if it's daily or weekly, which is a pity. You need to pay to see the full article and I didn't fancy doing that...

However... the point is that too many people will claim to have the 'fat gene' (whether they've been tested or not) and will make no attempt to help themselves, but continue to eat junk food while they watch tv.

We can all do something, no matter how small, to improve our health.

quote:

ORIGINAL: his_chosen

All the women in my family hit 40yo and balloon up. It started to happen to me, too. I decided I didn't want to live like that. I modified my diet and increased my activity. So far, I've kept my weight in check.

I work out 1-2hrs/day, longer on the weekend. It's a matter of priorities. I have races I want to do. I know what it will take to get there. For me, that means getting up stupid early and working out before the kids get up. Then, it's school and household stuff. Bedtime is quite early, so I watch very little TV.

At the gym, I see the same people day in and day out. They've made working out before work a priority. So, even working full time it can be done.

quote:

There's a hitch. The people who successfully overrode their genes were burning a stunning 900 kilocalories more per day than their less active counterparts, which amounted to three to four hours of moderate exercise daily. "That's a lot," acknowledges Rampersaud, who tracked participants' physical activity for seven days using accelerometers. By contrast, the volunteers in the "low" activity group were doing about two to three hours of gardening, housework or brisk walking each day. That's the kind of activity many people in the general American population — which, unlike the Amish, relies on cars and dishwashers and washing machines — would consider a serious workout.

quote:

I am so glad that there is a study that confirms this. It's really galled me that people (many Christians included) claim that they have/must have a 'fat gene' that is preventing them from losing weight.

quote:

In a previous Danish trial that studied a more urban population that was slightly less active than the agrarian Amish, scientists found that those with the obesity-prone copies of FTO did not have to exercise that much to reduce their weight and BMI. Notes Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, the current study, which was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, highlights a critical new understanding in the relationship between genes and our lifestyle. It's long been known that we can compensate for our genetic makeup by our lifestyle choices — by watching what we eat and how much we exercise, for example — but as this study shows, it's now becoming clear that our lifestyle patterns may actually alter our genes and the way they are expressed as well. "We can nurture nature," he says, "and the idea that you can alter genetics through lifestyle is an emerging theme. The power of lifestyle is dramatic."

quote:

Study co-author Dr. Soren Snitker of the University of Maryland acknowledged that it's unrealistic to expect most people to shun modern conveniences and return to a 19th century lifestyle for the sake of staying trim.

But he said every little bit helps, and that adding an extra few hours of activity daily might not be as hard as it seems.

Instead of watching TV for a few hours at night, take a brisk walk, he suggested. Or use stairs instead of elevators, walk instead of driving, or take up a structured exercise such as swimming.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Jenny-Fair

I think what bothers me most is that at this point, it isn't about health. A fat woman can behave the same way the thin woman next to her can behave, but it's not good enough because people don't think she's sexy. The thin woman gets a pass.

quote:

Did you not read the part where they said it can be overcome by THREE TO FOUR HOURS PER DAY of moderate exercise?

quote:

I think what bothers me most is that at this point, it isn't about health. A fat woman can behave the same way the thin woman next to her can behave, but it's not good enough because people don't think she's sexy. The thin woman gets a pass.

quote:

Really, if you sleep 8 hours, you have 16 hours of time to "be active." If you have a job where you are required to sit at a desk (or any other "inactive" option) that still leaves 8 hours to find time to be active in some manner. 3-4 hours of exercise seems excessive, but that's not an excuse to do nothing and just "give in" to the fat gene. We all have gene's that aren't so great and you can either let the gene have it's way by complimenting it with an unhealthy lifestyle, or you can combat it with a healthy lifestyle. If you have the gene, you may not be able to totally meet "perfect" standard, but you can do better

quote:

The study does not say 3-4 hours working out in a gym per day.

quote:

I could not find anywhere where it specified 3-4 hours a day.

quote:

we should perhaps stop blaming circumstances for all our weight problems while not even bothering to do anything about them.