However, the biggest discovery from the Heritage Family Study to date is the comparison of SNP's (single - nucleotide polymorphisms) that occurred in one genome to the person's ability to become more fit in a shorter amount of time. Through various tests over the course of five months, and by monitoring the amount of oxygen each person's body took in during the tests, it was discovered that there was a correlation between having a higher number of SNP's and having the potential to become fit more quickly. Someone with over 19 SNP's tended to become fit three times more quickly than someone with less than 19 SNP's. One SNP in particular, located on the gene ACSL1, accounted for up to 6% of the persons ability to become fit more quickly.
It will be years before there will be tests to accurately predict how long it would take someone to get in shape, however, these discoveries are the crucial first steps to moving towards a fitter future. The ability of nutritionists to potentially differentiate the difference between multiple client's ability to become fit could ultimately give them the upper hand in creating nutritional plans and helping people to become fit by deciding how strict their diets should be. This discovery will help many health care fields geared towards weight the ability to better understand their clients and create more accurate plans for that person to get in shape.
The original article can be found here.
A powerpoint made by a Stanford student giving a more detailed look at the genetics behind fitness can be found here.
After reading this article, it makes a lot more sense to me why some people never get toned/strong. They probably have less than 19 SNP's and have a very difficult time trying to accomplish it. That is pretty unfortunate. It also might be why some people are more athletic than others. I feel like men must have more SNPs than women because as a whole they seem to gain muscle much easier.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting how they are starting to connect genetics to the physical abilities of humans. This also connects to an older blog posted that showed the correlation between certain genes and obesity. All bodies are different and it is good that there is more than enough research to prove it.
ReplyDeleteHopefully there will be further research regarding this topic, because it seems logical that fitness can certainly be a matter of genetics. Everyone's body changes at a different speed and to different extremes. This research could also help people struggling with their fitness to help them learn about their own heredity and how they can achieve their goals over a realistic amount of time.
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