Kristina Shatokhina
Contributor
A recent McMaster University study has found a gene that may explain why some people enjoy exercise and others prefer inactivity. The recent genetics study serves not only as encouragement to couch potatoes everywhere, but is crucial to diabetics and anyone beginning an exercise program.
The team behind the study started with a group of healthy, specially-bred mice. From half of the mice, they removed two genes that control AMP-activated protein kinase, or AMPK. The absence of AMPK causes lower levels of mitochondria, the part of the cell that takes up glucose from the blood, transforms it into energy, and allows the muscles to respond to exercise.
Gregory Steinberg, associate professor of medicine, led the team of researchers. He says there was an immediate difference between the two groups of mice.
“The mice without the protein, they couldn’t run at all,” Steinberg says. “They would get up on the wheel and think about it, but they would immediately get tired.”
This bears a striking resemblance to people struggling to beginning an exercise program and who think about being active but remain confined to their couch. As Steinberg explains, the decrease in AMPK is caused by a sedentary lifestyle. Thus, the less activity one is engaged in, the more difficult it is to begin exercising.
York’s Ronaldo Ceddia, associate professor of kinesiology and health science, however, sees nothing new.
“We already knew this 100 years ago,” he says.
Previous studies have, in fact, attempted to come to the same conclusion. Steinberg explains that previous studies have deleted only one of the genes, rather than two.
“We thought that some of the reasons for the previous studies could be related to the unimportant effects of AMP-kinase that could be attributed to physiological redundancy in the system,” says Steinberg. “We eliminated that by deleting both subunits.”
Multiple publications have misinterpreted the findings from this study, claiming that some people are missing the gene and are therefore unable to exercise efficiently. In reality, this gene is present within the system of each person. Once they begin to exercise and overcome that difficult period, mitochondria levels increase.
Due to the positive effects on glucose uptake, this study also concretely explains the benefits of exercise to diabetics. AMPK stimulates glucose uptake, helping to treat diabetes.
Ceddia agrees with what the study has observed in regards to energy production within the muscle. However, he maintains that the application of the findings should go further.
“If you come up with a drug to activate this protein in people who already have it, you can improve glucose metabolism,” he says. “That can be an important lesson.”
This suggestion, if supported by future studies, could bring important positive changes in the lives of those suffering from obesity, diabetes, and other related conditions.
Nevertheless, both researchers recommend exercise as the cure.
“Everyone has the genes, it’s just a matter of activity, “ Steinberg says. “It’s important to stay active. If you’re not active, it’ll come back to you.”
