Work

Lean Body Mass, Physical Activity, and the Risks of Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease: Gene-Lifestyle Interaction

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Background and Objectives: Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified multiple single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as candidate genetic variants for lean body mass (LBM).However, little is known about the interaction between these genetic variants and physical activity on LBM and cardiometabolic disease risk.Methods: We included 5,672 middle-aged Korean adults from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study Ansan-Ansung cohort.Polygenic risk scores (PRS) were calculated by summing the number of effective alleles for 23 candidate SNPs identified in previous GWAS (PRS1) and subsets of SNPs showing positive associations (PRS2) or statistically significant positive associations (PRS3) in our study population.LBM was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis.We performed linear regression to estimate beta coefficients (β) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations with LBM, while Cox proportional hazards models estimated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CI for associations with cardiometabolic disease risk.Results: PRS3 (per 1-unit increase: β [95% CI], 0.15 [0.04, 0.25]) and physical activity (high vs. low: 0.56 [0.35, 0.76]) were statistically significantly associated with higher LBM.Physical activity was also associated with lower type 2 diabetes risk (HR [95% CI], 0.87 [0.76, 0.99]).PRS3 was associated with cardiovascular disease risk (1.10 [1.01, 1.20]), but this association appeared to be restricted to participants with low physical activity.However, the interaction between PRS and physical activity was not statistically significant (p-interaction=0.29).Conclusions: While both genetic variants and physical activity can modify LBM, there was no evidence suggesting gene-lifestyle interaction on LBM or cardiometabolic disease risk.

Source: CardioMetabolic Syndrome Journal

DOI: 10.51789/cmsj.2025.5.e7

Authors: Yujin Kim, Garam Jo, Min-Jeong Shin, Hannah Oh

Institution: Korea University

Language: English

Topic: Genetic Associations and Epidemiology

Subfield: Genetics

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention