Can exercise reduce a person's genetic susceptibility to disease?

According to recent studies even those with a high genetic risk of getting type 2 diabetes can reduce their risk by staying activeThe University of Sydneyled study discovered a robust correlation between higher levels of overall physical activity mainly moderate to vigorousintensity physical activity and a lower risk of type 2 diabetesThe findings were published in the British Journal of Sports MedicineThe researchers say the study demonstrates higher levels of physical activity should be promoted as a major strategy for type 2 diabetes prevention which affects millions of AustraliansThe study involved 59325 adults from the UK Biobank who wore accelerometers activity trackers worn on their wrist at the start of the study and were then followed for up to seven years to track health outcomesThe UK Biobank is a largescale biomedical database and research resource containing anonymised genetic lifestyle and health information from half a million UK participantsThis included genetic markers associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes People with a high genetic risk score had 24 times the risk of developing type 2 diabetes when compared with those with a low genetic risk scoreThe study showed more than an hour of moderate to vigorousintensity physical activity per day was associated with a 74 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes when compared with participants who did less than 5 minutes of physical activityThis was even when other factors including genetic risk were accounted forAnother compelling finding was that participants with a high genetic risk but who were in the most physically active category actually had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes when compared with those with a low genetic risk but in the least active categorySenior author Associate Professor Melody Ding from the Charles Perkins Centre and the Faculty of Medicine and Health says although the role of genetics and physical activity in the onset of type 2 diabetes is well established until now most data was selfreported and there was little evidence whether the genetic risk could be counteracted by physical activityWe are unable to control our genetic risk and family history but this finding provides promising and positive news that through an active lifestyle one can fight off much of the excessive risk for type 2 diabetesAssociate Professor Ding says moderateintensity physical activity describes movements that get you sweating and slightly out of breath such as brisk walking and general gardeningExamples of vigorousintensity physical activity include running aerobic dancing cycling uphill or at a fast pace and heavy gardening such as digging all activities that make you out of breath or cause you to breathe heavilyStudy to help inform public health guidelinesDiabetes is a global public health concern In 2021 there were 537 million adults living with diabetes worldwide Almost 12 million Australians were recorded as living with type 2 diabetes in 2020The findings also hold a strong personal meaning for Associate Professor Ding whose father was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in his sixtiesMy dads side of the family has a history of type 2 diabetes so the result of the study is extremely heartening for my family and myself As an already active person I now have extra motivation to keep this active lifestyle says Associate Professor DingOur hope is that this study will inform public health and clinical guidelines so that it can help chronic disease prevention for health professionals organisations and the publicI am so delighted to share our research results with a broad audience to let people know that physical activity is healthenhancing especially for people with high genetic risk If you have a family history of type 2 diabetes or even if you dont today is the day to start being physically active says PhD candidate Mengyun Susan Luo who led the studyAlso ReadCycle 30 minutes to prevent cardiac problems says doctorThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever