Sports: Move! It’s good for your DNA!

Pysical activity improves cardiovascular health, reduces the chance of developing rusty joints, stimulates muscles, burns calories, reduces the risk of cancer relapses and decreases stress levels… More unexpectedly, we now know it also reprograms our genes!

All cells in our body contain exactly the same genes, nearly 30,000 of them. Impossible to change, each cell is born and dies with a single fixed genetic capital. But these 30,000 genes do not all work simultaneously or all the time. Everything is programmed; depending on the type of function that should occupy a cell at the time (making of bones, making the heart beat faster, store memories…), some genes are active, many others remain dormant.

It turns out that our lifestyles can influence our genes. Of course, despite all conceivable efforts, we will not go from blonde to brunette (at least not without visiting the hairdresser!). However, according to recent Swedish studies, physical activity appears to be able to influence certain genes (stimulate them or slow them down) and act on certain diseases as a result.

So how do you know if a person is sedentary or not? Well it shows up in the abdominal fat cells! Six months of regular physical activity (2 weekly sessions of one hour of aerobics or cycling) are sufficient to modify the genetic profile of these fat cells. Researchers have identified 7,000 genes that do not work the same way when they are active or inactive. Among them, they found that some genes linked to diabetes and obesity, which are activated at the start of six months of sports, are no longer the same.

‘Sports as medicine?’ Well, according to geneticists, it does work. So put on your sneakers now!

Mathieu Rached