Weight loss is a complicated process. There are so many factors involved including your diet, how much sleep you get each night and the kind of exercise you do. Our recent study shows that your specific genetic profile may also have a dominant effect on how well you lose weight through exercise. This might explain why two people who do an identical workout will see very different results.

We identified 14 genes that appeared to significantly contribute to how much weight a person lost through running. This suggests that some of us have a natural talent when it comes to burning fat and losing weight through exercise.

To conduct our study, we recruited 38 men and women born in the UK aged between 20 and 40. None of the participants regularly exercised at the start of the study. The group was randomly divided, with one half following a strict eight-week endurance programme that consisted of three weekly runs of 20-30 minutes.

The other group acted as a control. They were instructed to refrain from exercise and continue their daily routines as normal over this study period, including diet and lifestyle habits.

All participants conducted a running test to see how far they could run in 12 minutes, and were weighed before and after the study period. This was to gauge their initial fitness level and see how much they changed over the duration of the study. Body mass index (BMI) was also calculated.

Additionally, a saliva sample was collected from each person with a DNA test kit at the end of the study to assess their unique genetic profile.

It’s important to note that everyone who participated in the study had a similar body weight, BMI and aerobic fitness level at the start of the study. This is beneficial for multiple reasons. It meant everyone was at the same starting point, and some confounding variables were already controlled for such as fitness level. This ultimately improves accuracy in interpreting the results.

Exercise genes

Everyone in the exercise group managed to lose weight – around 2kg on average. The control group, on the other hand, put on a little bit of weight.

While a 2kg weight loss may not sound like a lot, it’s significant considering the exercise regime only lasted eight weeks and participants made no changes to their diet.

More significant, however, was the large variation in results among those that exercised – with an up to 10kg difference in weight loss between some of the participants. In fact, everyone within the exercise group improved at different rates.

Since we controlled for factors such as the intensity, duration and frequency of the exercises and used participants who’d had a similar body weight and fitness level at the start of the study, this suggests that some people naturally benefited more than others from endurance training.

When we looked at the genetic profiles of our participants, we found that differences in each person’s response to the exercise was strongly associated with their specific genetics.

We showed there was a strong linear correlation between the amount of weight participants lost and 14 genes that have previously been shown to be associated with body weight, metabolism or psychological conditions that affect BMI. The greater number of these genes a participant had, the more weight they lost. Our results also revealed that around 63% of the variance in weight lost among participants were explained by the genes identified.

For example, research has shown the PPARGC1A gene plays a role in metabolism and the use of fats for energy while exercising. Our study found that all participants who lost more than 1.5kg from exercise had this gene. Those who lost less than this did not have this gene.

Our findings align with what previous studies have shown. But while previous papers have only looked at the link between individual genes and weight loss, ours is the first to show that 14 different genes appear to work in combination to affect whether a person loses weight from endurance exercise.

Piece of the puzzle

Our study also suggests that while some people possess genes that make it easier for them to get fit and lose weight, people with these favourable genetics can only flourish if they actually exercise. In fact, our control group also had a number of these listed genes, but without exercise these genes could not activate, and so the participants did not lose any weight.

While our study provides compelling findings, it’s not without limitations. Since we only looked at endurance-based exercise, it will be important for future studies to investigate whether there are similar links between weight loss, genetics and combinations of different types of training (such as a mixture of endurance and strength sessions into a training plan).

It’s also worth mentioning that exercise is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to weight loss. So even if you have all 14 of these genes, you won’t lose any weight or get fit if you don’t exercise and maintain a healthy diet and sleep pattern.

On the flip side, someone that only has a few of these favourable genes can still benefit if they exercise and are mindful of other aspects of their lifestyle.

The University of Minnesota’s Recreation and Wellness Center and Blue Cross Blue Shield hosted a grand opening event on Sept. 27 to unveil its new fitness court. 

The court is located in Superblock, the area of campus with the University’s highest concentration of residence halls. The fitness court, which is free to all students, has a variety of outdoor fitness pieces, including pull-up bars, gymnastic rings and more. 

Students can use these pieces with the Fitness Court App, which helps users perform seven key exercise movements — core, squat, push, lunge, pull, agility and bend. 

The University’s Recwell team worked closely with Bukata Hayes, vice president for racial and health equity and chief equity officer for Blue Cross Blue Shield Minnesota, and other members of Blue Cross Blue Shield Minnesota.  

Hayes has worked to put up similar courts in other Minnesota communities, such as Shakopee and Willmar. Hayes said he sees these courts as an investment into the communities. 

“This investment is in sort of encouraging health and healthy lifestyles and activities,” Hayes said. “I think the other benefit is that it’s a really visual encouragement to get active, which I think is important as well.” 

Benjamin Kohler, the fitness and wellness director at the RecWell, said he is happy the court will allow students to get active by avoiding boundaries of financial barriers and accessibility. 

“You can be creative,” Kohler said. “You can go by yourself. You can go with a group. There’s just so many opportunities to move with this new installation, and we’re super excited about students utilizing it.” 

George Brown, assistant vice provost in the Office for Student Affairs and RecWell director, said the Student Services Committee provided much support in the installation process.

“They were initially in on this project and supportive of having events out there as we went back to them over the course of this project and kept them updated,” Brown said. “Their support was unwavering. Their partnership was make or break, and they saw us get it across the finish line.”

Hayes and his team wanted to utilize local artists, which they did by commissioning a University alumna artist to create a mural, serving as a vibrant backdrop to the new court. 

Brown said the installment removes both real and perceived barriers. 

“There is no cost,” Brown said. “There’s no judgment being passed. I do my thing and I move on, and I go get something to eat. Or I go on to my next class. So all the things that align with better public health doctrine is to remove barriers.”

Hayes said by using the fitness app, users can connect via a QR code with the court to try a workout made specifically for the court, helping make fitness accessible for students and community members. He added the app also allows users to track personal health directly. 

“It provides an option, really a gathering place for the community to come and be active in living a healthy life,” Hayes said.