Genetic Correlation between Body Fat Percentage and Cardiorespiratory Fitness Suggests Common Genetic Etiology.

<h4>Objectives</h4>It has long been discussed whether fitness or fatness is a more important determinant of health status. If the same genetic factors that promote body fat percentage (body fat%) are related to cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), part of the concurrent associations with hea...

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Main Authors: Theresia M Schnurr, Anette P Gjesing, Camilla H Sandholt, Anna Jonsson, Yuvaraj Mahendran, Christian T Have, Claus T Ekstrøm, Anne-Louise Bjerregaard, Soren Brage, Daniel R Witte, Marit E Jørgensen, Mette Aadahl, Betina H Thuesen, Allan Linneberg, Hans Eiberg, Oluf Pedersen, Niels Grarup, Tuomas O Kilpeläinen, Torben Hansen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2016-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0166738&type=printable
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author Theresia M Schnurr
Anette P Gjesing
Camilla H Sandholt
Anna Jonsson
Yuvaraj Mahendran
Christian T Have
Claus T Ekstrøm
Anne-Louise Bjerregaard
Soren Brage
Daniel R Witte
Marit E Jørgensen
Mette Aadahl
Betina H Thuesen
Allan Linneberg
Hans Eiberg
Oluf Pedersen
Niels Grarup
Tuomas O Kilpeläinen
Torben Hansen
author_facet Theresia M Schnurr
Anette P Gjesing
Camilla H Sandholt
Anna Jonsson
Yuvaraj Mahendran
Christian T Have
Claus T Ekstrøm
Anne-Louise Bjerregaard
Soren Brage
Daniel R Witte
Marit E Jørgensen
Mette Aadahl
Betina H Thuesen
Allan Linneberg
Hans Eiberg
Oluf Pedersen
Niels Grarup
Tuomas O Kilpeläinen
Torben Hansen
author_sort Theresia M Schnurr
collection DOAJ
description <h4>Objectives</h4>It has long been discussed whether fitness or fatness is a more important determinant of health status. If the same genetic factors that promote body fat percentage (body fat%) are related to cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), part of the concurrent associations with health outcomes could reflect a common genetic origin. In this study we aimed to 1) examine genetic correlations between body fat% and CRF; 2) determine whether CRF can be attributed to a genetic risk score (GRS) based on known body fat% increasing loci; and 3) examine whether the fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) locus associates with CRF.<h4>Methods</h4>Genetic correlations based on pedigree information were examined in a family based cohort (n = 230 from 55 families). For the genetic association analyses, we examined two Danish population-based cohorts (ntotal = 3206). The body fat% GRS was created by summing the alleles of twelve independent risk variants known to associate with body fat%. We assessed CRF as maximal oxygen uptake expressed in millilitres of oxygen uptake per kg of body mass (VO2max), per kg fat-free mass (VO2maxFFM), or per kg fat mass (VO2maxFM). All analyses were adjusted for age and sex, and when relevant, for body composition.<h4>Results</h4>We found a significant negative genetic correlation between VO2max and body fat% (ρG = -0.72 (SE ±0.13)). The body fat% GRS associated with decreased VO2max (β = -0.15 mL/kg/min per allele, p = 0.0034, age and sex adjusted). The body fat%-increasing FTO allele was associated with a 0.42 mL/kg/min unit decrease in VO2max per allele (p = 0.0092, age and sex adjusted). Both associations were abolished after additional adjustment for body fat%. The fat% increasing GRS and FTO risk allele were associated with decreased VO2maxFM but not with VO2maxFFM.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Our findings suggest a shared genetic etiology between whole body fat% and CRF.
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spelling doaj-art-5167aa16afca4b0ca07d847cb7bb0bfc2025-08-20T03:26:20ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032016-01-011111e016673810.1371/journal.pone.0166738Genetic Correlation between Body Fat Percentage and Cardiorespiratory Fitness Suggests Common Genetic Etiology.Theresia M SchnurrAnette P GjesingCamilla H SandholtAnna JonssonYuvaraj MahendranChristian T HaveClaus T EkstrømAnne-Louise BjerregaardSoren BrageDaniel R WitteMarit E JørgensenMette AadahlBetina H ThuesenAllan LinnebergHans EibergOluf PedersenNiels GrarupTuomas O KilpeläinenTorben Hansen<h4>Objectives</h4>It has long been discussed whether fitness or fatness is a more important determinant of health status. If the same genetic factors that promote body fat percentage (body fat%) are related to cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), part of the concurrent associations with health outcomes could reflect a common genetic origin. In this study we aimed to 1) examine genetic correlations between body fat% and CRF; 2) determine whether CRF can be attributed to a genetic risk score (GRS) based on known body fat% increasing loci; and 3) examine whether the fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) locus associates with CRF.<h4>Methods</h4>Genetic correlations based on pedigree information were examined in a family based cohort (n = 230 from 55 families). For the genetic association analyses, we examined two Danish population-based cohorts (ntotal = 3206). The body fat% GRS was created by summing the alleles of twelve independent risk variants known to associate with body fat%. We assessed CRF as maximal oxygen uptake expressed in millilitres of oxygen uptake per kg of body mass (VO2max), per kg fat-free mass (VO2maxFFM), or per kg fat mass (VO2maxFM). All analyses were adjusted for age and sex, and when relevant, for body composition.<h4>Results</h4>We found a significant negative genetic correlation between VO2max and body fat% (ρG = -0.72 (SE ±0.13)). The body fat% GRS associated with decreased VO2max (β = -0.15 mL/kg/min per allele, p = 0.0034, age and sex adjusted). The body fat%-increasing FTO allele was associated with a 0.42 mL/kg/min unit decrease in VO2max per allele (p = 0.0092, age and sex adjusted). Both associations were abolished after additional adjustment for body fat%. The fat% increasing GRS and FTO risk allele were associated with decreased VO2maxFM but not with VO2maxFFM.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Our findings suggest a shared genetic etiology between whole body fat% and CRF.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0166738&type=printable
spellingShingle Theresia M Schnurr
Anette P Gjesing
Camilla H Sandholt
Anna Jonsson
Yuvaraj Mahendran
Christian T Have
Claus T Ekstrøm
Anne-Louise Bjerregaard
Soren Brage
Daniel R Witte
Marit E Jørgensen
Mette Aadahl
Betina H Thuesen
Allan Linneberg
Hans Eiberg
Oluf Pedersen
Niels Grarup
Tuomas O Kilpeläinen
Torben Hansen
Genetic Correlation between Body Fat Percentage and Cardiorespiratory Fitness Suggests Common Genetic Etiology.
PLoS ONE
title Genetic Correlation between Body Fat Percentage and Cardiorespiratory Fitness Suggests Common Genetic Etiology.
title_full Genetic Correlation between Body Fat Percentage and Cardiorespiratory Fitness Suggests Common Genetic Etiology.
title_fullStr Genetic Correlation between Body Fat Percentage and Cardiorespiratory Fitness Suggests Common Genetic Etiology.
title_full_unstemmed Genetic Correlation between Body Fat Percentage and Cardiorespiratory Fitness Suggests Common Genetic Etiology.
title_short Genetic Correlation between Body Fat Percentage and Cardiorespiratory Fitness Suggests Common Genetic Etiology.
title_sort genetic correlation between body fat percentage and cardiorespiratory fitness suggests common genetic etiology
url https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0166738&type=printable
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