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Endurance training can induce changes that affect how we use our genes / photo: www.shutterstock.com
Scientists in Sweden have made what looks to be a significant breakthrough in the quest to establish exactly how exercise leads to better health and fitness.
It’s an accepted principle that exercise helps us attain better levels of fitness and reduce the risk of many cardiovascular diseases, but the biology behind this has long remained unclear. Now, researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm believe they may have cracked the case, concluding that regular exercise has the power to change the shape and functioning of our genes by altering our DNA.
“Through endurance training – a lifestyle change that’s easily available for most people and doesn’t cost much money – we can induce changes that affect how we use our genes and, through that, get healthier and more functional muscles that ultimately improve our quality of life,” the study’s lead researcher, Maléne Lindholm, told The New York Times.
The results of the study, which was published in the journal Epigenetics*, may have future implications for the prevention and treatment of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
One-legged cycling The small study recruited 23 young, healthy men and women who performed supervised, one-legged cycling, where the untrained leg served as a control. The participants took part in a 45-minute training session, four times a week over the course of three months.
Performance was measured in both legs before and after training, and after the three months there were clear physical improvements evident in the exercised leg that were not present in the idle leg. Scientists were then able to home in on the changes at cellular level.
Gene altering By using cutting-edge genomic analysis, the researchers found that exercise has the ability to change the methylation patterns on the genome of muscle cells, altering the proteins these genes express. This, in turn, affects the physiological responses elsewhere in the body. A large majority of these genes play a role in energy metabolism, insulin response and inflammation in muscles – regulating how fit these muscles, and in turn our bodies, can become.
Dr Carl Johan Sundberg, a pharmacology professor at the institute who also worked on the study, adds: “We found that endurance training in a co-ordinated fashion affects thousands of DNA methylation sites and genes associated to improvement in muscle function and health.
“This could be of great importance for the understanding and treatment of common diseases such as cardiovascular disease, but also for how to maintain a good muscle function throughout life.
“Interestingly, we also saw that there were epigenetic differences between male and female skeletal muscle, which may be of importance to develop gender-specific therapies in the future.”
Lindholm says another focus could be looking into whether these genetic changes would remain if someone were to stop exercising, as well as the impact different types of training have on genes.
*Lindholm ME & Sundberg CJ et al. An integrative analysis reveals coordinated reprogramming of the epigenome and the transcriptome in human skeletal muscle after training. Epigentics. December 2014
Endurance training can induce changes that affect how we use our genes / photo: www.shutterstock.com
Scientists in Sweden have made what looks to be a significant breakthrough in the quest to establish exactly how exercise leads to better health and fitness.
It’s an accepted principle that exercise helps us attain better levels of fitness and reduce the risk of many cardiovascular diseases, but the biology behind this has long remained unclear. Now, researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm believe they may have cracked the case, concluding that regular exercise has the power to change the shape and functioning of our genes by altering our DNA.
“Through endurance training – a lifestyle change that’s easily available for most people and doesn’t cost much money – we can induce changes that affect how we use our genes and, through that, get healthier and more functional muscles that ultimately improve our quality of life,” the study’s lead researcher, Maléne Lindholm, told The New York Times.
The results of the study, which was published in the journal Epigenetics*, may have future implications for the prevention and treatment of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
One-legged cycling The small study recruited 23 young, healthy men and women who performed supervised, one-legged cycling, where the untrained leg served as a control. The participants took part in a 45-minute training session, four times a week over the course of three months.
Performance was measured in both legs before and after training, and after the three months there were clear physical improvements evident in the exercised leg that were not present in the idle leg. Scientists were then able to home in on the changes at cellular level.
Gene altering By using cutting-edge genomic analysis, the researchers found that exercise has the ability to change the methylation patterns on the genome of muscle cells, altering the proteins these genes express. This, in turn, affects the physiological responses elsewhere in the body. A large majority of these genes play a role in energy metabolism, insulin response and inflammation in muscles – regulating how fit these muscles, and in turn our bodies, can become.
Dr Carl Johan Sundberg, a pharmacology professor at the institute who also worked on the study, adds: “We found that endurance training in a co-ordinated fashion affects thousands of DNA methylation sites and genes associated to improvement in muscle function and health.
“This could be of great importance for the understanding and treatment of common diseases such as cardiovascular disease, but also for how to maintain a good muscle function throughout life.
“Interestingly, we also saw that there were epigenetic differences between male and female skeletal muscle, which may be of importance to develop gender-specific therapies in the future.”
Lindholm says another focus could be looking into whether these genetic changes would remain if someone were to stop exercising, as well as the impact different types of training have on genes.
*Lindholm ME & Sundberg CJ et al. An integrative analysis reveals coordinated reprogramming of the epigenome and the transcriptome in human skeletal muscle after training. Epigentics. December 2014
The UK spa review and discovery platform for consumers, the Good Spa Guide, has announced
it will host the Good Spa Guide Awards 2026 during an event on 16 November at Sopwell House
Hotel in St Albans, UK.
Eighty-four per cent of consumers now say wellness is a top priority in their lives, with this
percentage increasing year on year, according to a preview presentation of McKinsey’s Future of
Wellness 2026 research report.
Mass protests have been taking place since Monday 1 June in Albania over the development of
a luxury resort by Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
Global Wellness Day (GWD) marked its 15th anniversary on Saturday 13 June 2026, with the
theme: #JoyMagenta – a celebration of the healing qualities of simple gestures and activities
that spark joy.
Global luxury hospitality brand, Six Senses, has partnered with longevity healthcare provider,
HUM2N, to launch a clinic at Six Senses London, at The Whiteley.
As part of its first hotel partnership, Mayrlife – the medical health resort company known for its
site in Altaussee, Austria – has launched a day clinic at the Rosewood Vienna.
Premium London health club, KX Chelsea, will imminently unveil its most significant
redevelopment since its launch in 2002 to create an integrated wellness model combining
training, recovery and relaxation.
Rosewood Le Guanahani St Barth, on the northeast coast of Saint Barthélemy in the French
West Indies, is offering a programme of ocean-inspired yoga classes between 8-14 June to
celebrate Global Wellness Day (GWD).
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi, in Malaysia, has revealed a schedule for Global Wellness Day
(GWD) that includes guided rainforest walks, mindful movement and guided coastal meditation
experiences.
