Ladies In the Gym: Same Effort, But Different Results — Why Is That? — Dave’s Diary

My wife is a workout beast. Maybe you have seen the pictures on Facebook. If not, take my word for it. Her mother and grandmother are thin, too, so she has genetics going for her.  In fact, a genetic risk of obesity is a disadvantage even for those who do work out like Sara "Beast Mode" Ettl!

Fox News reports that University of Arizona researchers took DNA samples from 84 women ages 30 to 65 and examined them, focusing on genes linked with obesity. They then had all the women engage in high-intensity exercise and moderate-impact exercise with weights for at least one hour, three days a week for a year.

They found the exercise had a greater effect on both weight loss and body fat in women whose genetic risk of obesity was lower, compared with those whose genetic risk was higher.

Ladies in the study at the highest genetic risk of obesity gained an average of 2.6 pounds during the study period, while women with the lowest genetic risk lost 2.9 pounds on average. Researchers conclude that there is  a higher wall to climb if you have a high genetic predisposition for obesity. (Fox) At least that's my excuse this week!