Interaction Between Physical Activity and Genetic Factors in Complex Metabolic Disease

• Obesity and diabetes have become increasingly prevalent during the past century. Concomitant with this rise, the consumption of trans-fatty acids and processed carbohydrates is likely to have increased and physical activity levels declined. However, the rates at which obesity and diabetes have increased differ across people of varying ethnicities living in the same environment, suggesting the presence of interaction between ethnic-specific factors, such as genes, and changing environments and lifestyles. Quantifying these interactions is difficult because the interaction effect is often small, and precise measurement of lifestyle factors, such as diet and habitual physical activity, is difficult. Conventional interaction studies aim to test whether the magnitude of the association between the lifestyle exposures and the disease outcome is different in those who carry the variant allele at a given locus by comparison with those who do not. Because exercising skeletal muscle is a major site for glucose and lipid metabolism, variants in the genes that are located within muscle and that are up-regulated in response to physical activity present interesting candidates for testing in studies of gene x physical activity interaction in diabetes. However, numerous methodological limitations seriously hinder attempts to test such hypotheses. This chapter describes (1) a brief review of studies that provide evidence of gene x physical activity interaction in diabetes (and related traits), (2) functional evidence for interaction between genetic factors and physical activity in metabolic dysregulation, and (3) some common methodological issues that face the study of gene x environment interaction in human populations.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Endokrinologi och diabetes (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Endocrinology and Diabetes (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

physical activity energy expenditure

genetics

diabetes

metabolism

gene x environment interaction

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

kap (ämneskategori)