finnish study

A Finnish study of identical twins has found that physical inactivity and acquired obesity can impair expression of the genes which help the cells produce energy.

The findings suggest that lifestyle, more than heredity, contributes to insulin resistance in people who are obese.

Insulin resistance increases the chance of developing diabetes and heart disease.

The machinery responsible for energy production in fat cells is working poorly as a result of obesity. This may aggravate and work to maintain the obese state in humans, suggests the recent Finnish study.

Studying rare cases of young identical twins with large differences in bodyweight a research group has shown that already in the very early stages of obesity, clear changes in the function of the cellular mitochondria can be observed.