Starting out on a new fitness regimen can seem like taking a shot in the dark.
What type of exercises would you have to do to get abs like Chris Evans in Captain America?
Is a personal trainer, lifting weights and hot yoga all that is needed? One thing you know for sure is that not everyone in your exercise group will show the same results.
There is an underlying factor that has an impact on the type of exercise that would better suit you.
A UK biobank study conducted on 95,105 participants has shown that the time spent sitting, sleeping or even moving is determined in part by our genes.
How active are you? How long do you really need to sleep? How will being lazy affect your health? Find out more about your exercise genes
You might also be interested in: Optimize Your Weight Loss Plan With Your 23andMe Raw Data
According to WHO, 1 in 4 adults is not active enough and 80% of adolescents are insufficiently physically active, costing 50 billion $ in healthcare costs every year.
Physical inactivity is one of the leading cause of death and can lead to conditions like obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.
A common conundrum for scientists has been whether physical inactivity leads to obesity or whether obesity causes physical inactivity.
An understanding of genetic variants and their influence on physical inactivity will help in determining the relationship with obesity and can be used to identify preventive measures.
In the UK Biobank study, the participants were made to wear activity trackers for 7 days.
To identify the type of activity they were involved in, 200 volunteers wore a special camera that took images every 20 seconds. Their saliva sample was used to carry out genetic analysis.
The study found that 18% of the variation in physical activity and sleep duration may be due to genetic variants.
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There have been numerous studies that have reported a reduction in blood pressure on increased physical activity.
However, this study has shown a causal relationship between genetic variants, increased physical activity, and lower blood pressure, and subsequently lower the risk of hypertension
Sometimes a little extra nudge is needed for some people to start exercising!
Would that be an increased risk of physical inactivity, lower motivation to exercise or even an increased risk for obesity?
After all, it is innate in humans to push harder when you know something may go wrong if you don’t.
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Individuals vary in their response to exercise, their risk for injury, exercise recovery duration and even risk of fatigue.
Such information is important while designing a fitness regimen.
As this UK Biobank study found, there is a causal relationship between genetic variants and blood pressure.
Better physical activity could help improve blood pressure levels.
Scientific studies have also shown an association with genetic variants and HDL cholesterol levels, insulin sensitivity and weight loss.
Apart from working hard at the gym, it is also important to eat right and get the right nutrition for better health and fitness.
The influence of genetic variants is just one part of the puzzle, other factors include actually getting out and working out!
Health and fitness magazines can provide a lot of generic advice on staying fit but a fitness genetic report can reveal several aspects that people are generally unaware.
Upload your DNA raw data to Xcode Life now to get personalized and actionable diet recommendations!
Our Gene Fitness Report covers 15+ categories including information on power and endurance capacity, tendon and ligament strength, injury risk, and exercise recovery.
New Year resolutions are formulated from such a sense of self-awareness and a need for self-improvement.
However, do new year resolutions really work? What is the biggest kept secret about why some people stick to them while some others don’t? Find out more about your resolution genes.
Trivia: The ancient Romans offered resolutions of good conduct to god Janus, after whom January is named. This is the origin for New Year resolutions and the practice of focussing on self - initiated change.
The scientists at 23andme started a unique research study to identify what made some people make new year resolutions and what made them stick to it.
For the past three years, in March every year, 23andme customers who consented to be a part of the study were posed the following two questions.
Did you make a New Year resolution this year?
Those who answered “no” for this were considered controls
Those who answered “yes” were called “Resolvers”
How well have you been able to follow up on your New Year resolution until now?
The study participants could select one of these responses “very well,” “well,” “average,” “poorly,” or “very poorly.”
Those who answered “average,” “poorly,” or “very poorly” were again treated as controls.
Those who answered “very well” or “well,” were called “adherers”
Everyone seems to make new year resolutions or do they? Here are the results
The verdict on this one: Women!
Is this an indication of women being a little too self-critical? Or is it in their DNA to want to set everything right?
A Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) was carried out by 23andMe researchers, and three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were found to be significantly associated with the likelihood of making New Year resolutions, with women being more likely than men to do so.
The verdict on this one: Men!
The genome-wide association study did not yield any significant SNP in this study, and it could be because the sample size was relatively small. There were 34,000 cases and 41,000 controls.
The secret is out…
Genes play an important role in every aspect of our health and wellbeing, they code for the proteins that are associated with how well we breakdown the macronutrients in our diet, to how much of ‘happy’ dopamine is secreted.
Similarly, the resolve to make New year resolutions has been found to be associated with a SNP rs6680701, which is close to the gene BRINP2 (BNP/Retinoic acid-inducible neural specific 2).
This gene has previously been shown to be associated with personality traits like openness, which is a trait associated with trying unconventional and new experiences.
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Gene knockout study:
In a knockout study on mice lacking BRINP2 by Susan Berkowicz and colleagues in 2016, the lack of the genes was associated with neurodevelopmental disorders and the mice showed symptoms which were similar to autism spectrum disorder.
These studies show an association of this gene with neuronal development, so it is not surprising that a SNP close to this gene has been now found to be associated with making resolutions.
Most people are usually aware of their innate instincts.
However, a personality genetic report can reveal several such aspects that people are generally unaware.
Xcode Life’s Personality Report provides information on openness, extraversion ness, intelligence, entrepreneurship potential, and more than 25 such traits.
With the amount of fat loaded into an ice cream, the different flavor options, the ‘melt in your mouth’ texture, and a variety of add-ons like chocolate chips and syrups, there seems no reason why someone would say no.
Even if you're the kind who sticks to a single flavor all the time without a topping, there's so much your genes can tell you, like what flavor you prefer, which topping you're likely to choose because of your genetic tendency to prefer sweet/bitter.
Fun Fact: Approximately 86 percent of Americans eat ice cream at least once a week and the ice cream market is anticipated to reach $10.5 billion by 2021.
Two studies conducted by 23andMe researchers looked at preference for an ice cream flavor and the associated genetic variants. When the participants were split into two groups based on their preference (chocolate or vanilla), they identified close to 740 genetic markers that were different between the two groups. This means, these markers play a role in influencing your choice of ice-cream. Some of these markers were located near genes that rule your sense of smell and taste.
What the studies also showed is how the senses of smell and taste are closely interlinked by the genes you carry. (Ever heard of the idiom, taste with your nose?) One good example is, if your genes predispose you to bitter taste, you're more likely to choose dark chocolate than the plain ol' vanilla.
Also important for flavor preference is the receptors present in the nose and tongue that are encoded by the genes you carry. Some variants of these genes prefer one odor over the other in the nose, and one taste over the other in the tongue. The signals from both these sets of receptors are important for determining taste. Similar genetic variants were identified in another similar study on preference for vanilla, chocolate or strawberry.
A world-wide survey conducted showed that vanilla still stands at number one as the most popular ice cream flavor, closely followed by chocolate in the second place. Other flavors like strawberry, mint chocolate chip, and cookies N’ cream also made the list. Another study conducted by the 23andMe research team showed the women generally prefer chocolate over vanilla, while favor both (52% vanilla and 48% chocolate).
Upload your DNA raw data to Xcode Life to get insights into 700+ health-related traits! Our Gene Nutrition Report covers over 33 categories such as the tendency to prefer sweet foods, fatty foods, bitter or salty foods, and tendency to gain weight among many others.
Every child is different, with unique strengths and weaknesses, and identifying these help in creating a nurturing environment.
Like many aspects of our lives, our personalities are also genetically-influenced, which has sometimes been referred to as DNA fortune telling.
As Robert Plomin from the Wall Street Journal puts it, this technique could be used to ‘transform how we see ourselves, our capacities and our problems’.
It is the analysis of genetic variations associated with differences in a range of psychological attributes.
Genetic variation accounts for nearly 50% of differences in psychological traits like cognitive and learning ability, mental health and personality.
A well-known study, known as the Minnesota Study, analyzed the personalities of 350 identical and fraternal twins during the period between 1979 and 1999. Some of the twins were raised in the same household while others were raised separately.
The study showed that the personalities of identical twins were similar regardless of whether they were raised together or separately, indicating a possible genetic association.
Much has been published about the benefits of creating the right environment for a child at home; one that is positive, encouraging and which enhances the child’s interests and strengths.
However, how do you find out the innate capabilities of a child? What are the situations that a child will enjoy, get excited about or will feel comfortable in?
One of the tools to find out could be DNA analysis, which could help to identify entrepreneurship potential, leadership skills, creativity, maths ability and more.
When is the right time to teach a child something new?
Finding out if a child is a morning person or a night owl will help in utilizing their most effective hours.
A child who is a morning person will have better energy levels during the first half of the day, which would mean cramming late into the night is not ideal.
Getting up early would be a better option for such a child, though a bane for a child who is a night owl.
This information can also be used to time the heaviest meal to avoid weight gain, as aspect we have covered in detail elsewhere.
Intelligence is another important trait in which genes play an important role.
Twin studies have found that between 40 and 80% variance in IQ is associated with genetic factors.
Does that mean people with a specific genetic variant will always be intelligent?
An important point to note is that there are multiple genes that are associated with intelligence, so there is no ‘ONE’ intelligence gene.
Moreover, environmental factors play an important role too.
For example, a person with parents who are tall is likely to be tall too, but the exact height depends on factors like nutrition and overall state of health.
Similarly, even if a person carries genetic variants associated with higher than normal intelligence, educational opportunities and coaching are significant environmental factors without which the child may not realize its full potential.
DNA fortune telling is not so much about fortune telling as it is about self-empowerment through self-awareness.
For example, people with a higher genetic score for angry temperament can take measures to actively prevent angry outbursts, once they understand that this tendency is innate.
A high genetic risk score for alcoholism could be used to prevent overuse.
Most people are usually aware of their innate instincts. However, a personality, genetic report can reveal several such aspects that people are generally unaware.
The Xcode Life personality report provides information on extraversions, intelligence, entrepreneurship potential and more than 25 such traits.
Use your DNA raw data to get more information in addition to your Ancestry report.
Sleep is a behavior that occurs across the animal kingdom.
Even bacteria are known to have active and passive states that correspond to the sleep cycle of our body.
Major discoveries over the last couple of decades proved that sleep comes with a host of health benefits.
Sleep gives our body the opportunity to rest and recharge ourselves. In that time our body also focusses the energy in healing, detoxification, and repair processes.
Without this, our system will be subject to constant wear-and-tear with no opportunity to relax and repair itself appropriately.
The two main stages of sleep are:
NREM and REM occur in a recurring fashion every 90 minutes.
The main aspect of NREM is that there is little or no eye-movement during this stage.
Other characteristic features of this stage include:
The NREM has 4 stages:
Stage 1: A wake-to-sleep transition period where the person falling asleep can be easily woken up by softly calling their name.
Stage 2: A characteristic of this stage is specific bursts of electrical activity called sleep spindles. This help in the transfer of information from the short term to long term memory. A more intense stimulus can wake the person in this stage.
Stage 3: Progressing further, slow-wave activity marks stage 3, a period of deep sleep. The body begins its restorative process and sleep slowly transitions into stage 4
Stage 4: Called ‘the deepest stage’, the body’s reset process occurs now in full-swing: cells rebuild, protein synthesis occurs in high frequency, immune system is reset
Sleep then slowly ascends to the lighter stages of NREM (stages 1 and 2) and then to REM.
REM is the phase of sleep characterized by rapid eye movements.
Other characteristics of REM:
During REM, the information learned during the day is typically bounced around information boxes to relate this new piece to the existing ones.
This is often cited as a possible reason for dreaming.
Quick Fact: REM is a phase of sleep that is unique to birds and mammals.
Several genes are involved in sleep regulation in humans.
Some of the candidate genes are CLOCK, PER2, PER3, DEC2, and GRIA3.
CLOCK gene is short for clock circadian regulator.
Quick Fact: One of the first genes identified to be associated with sleep is the CLOCK gene.
Variations in this gene cause behavioral sleep changes.
Interesting variations:
A to G variation- influences the way CLOCK activates other genes (ARNTL, PER2, PER3) in the circadian regulatory complex and delay the onset of sleep.
This determines the chronotype of an individual.
CLOCK gene variations have also been shown to influence the habitual duration - to be either a long sleeper (>8.5 hours) or a short sleeper (<7 hours).
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Of the 24 hours, humans have a recycling rate of 16 hours. That means, after every 16 hours, we need an indispensable 8 hours of shut-eye.
If you have been experiencing difficulty in sleep you could consider digging up the information in your genes and making the appropriate lifestyle changes that
Weight loss or weight gain, though mostly thought of as a result of simple caloric imbalance, turns out to be much more complex and is influenced by a variety of factors including a person’s chronotype, which indicates the likelihood of being an early riser or a night owl.
Night owls can get away with a heavy meal later on in the day, while early risers will be better off scheduling their heavy meals earlier on.
With easy availability of high calorific, low-cost food, it's not surprising that obesity is on the rise worldwide.
Naturally, many people are looking for solutions that are simple and quick. But an effective solution is unlikely without fully understanding the causes of your obesity.
More importantly, a solution that is not based on your unique physiological and psychological makeup is unlikely to work for you.
In this article, we look at how your chronotype may help you time your heavy meals and thus help you maintain optimal weight. But first, what is a chronotype?
A chronotype is a technical term used to refer to whether someone is a morning or a night person.
A recently published study by The University of Surrey found an association between timing of food intake and weight gain. The study suggests that a heavy meal should be consumed 8 hours before melatonin sets in.
People who are not night owls and feel sleepy by 9 ’o clock should eat their heaviest meal by 1:00 p.m. This will help them avoid gaining extra weight.
According to the study, mismatched meal timings and chronotype lead to weight gain irrespective of calorie intake, activity levels, macronutrient intake, clock time of meal etc.
In summary, if you are an adult then you are probably aware of your chronotype by self-observation.
However, if you are unaware or want to know your “genetic” or innate chronotype (as opposed to environmentally “conditioned” chronotype), then, a gene test from 23andme or another company and the traits and personality report from Xcode will help you find this information.
Xcode life Sciences uses genetic raw data to provide information on whether you are a morning person or a night owl, as well as information on more than 30 personality traits.
