体育锻炼，效果到底有多大？很多人心中都有着或多或少的疑问。据英国《每日电讯报》7月5日报道，对预防糖尿病来说，运动不仅有助于缓解症状，还能改善基因的表达方式，可以说能从根本上解决问题。
瑞典兰德大学的研究人员，招募了一些体重超标的男性志愿者，要求他们每周参加3个小时的体育锻炼，运动以规律的有氧运动为主，如动感单车、跳有氧健身操等，并坚持6个月。研究前后分别采集其组织样本，对基因组上的48万个位置进行了对比分析。结果发现，在近1.8万个位置上，共有7663个基因的表达发生了改变。具体来说，与脂肪分布方式、胰岛素分泌、糖代谢水平等有关的基因表达水平多数发生变化。也就是说，部分与糖尿病发病有关的“坏基因”表达在一定程度上得到纠正，进而减少了患2型糖尿病的风险。
发表在《公共科学图书馆—遗传学》杂志上的这项研究表示，人类基因组大约含有2万个基因。它们不仅携带遗传信息，而且通过特定的表达，决定了生命活动，以及疾病和健康程度。积极的有氧锻炼，除了减轻体重、降低血糖，还能改变基因的活动水平，达到“治本”的效果。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐的英文摘要
PLoS Genetics doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1003572
A Six Months Exercise Intervention Influences the Genome-wide DNA Methylation Pattern in Human Adipose Tissue
Tina Ronn mail， Petr Volkov， Cajsa Davegrdh， Tasnim Dayeh， Elin Hall， Anders H. Olsson， Emma Nilsson， sa Tornberg， Marloes Dekker Nitert， Karl-Fredrik Eriksson， Helena A. Jones， Leif Groop， Charlotte Ling
Epigenetic mechanisms are implicated in gene regulation and the development of different diseases. The epigenome differs between cell types and has until now only been characterized for a few human tissues. Environmental factors potentially alter the epigenome. Here we describe the genome-wide pattern of DNA methylation in human adipose tissue from 23 healthy men， with a previous low level of physical activity， before and after a six months exercise intervention. We also investigate the differences in adipose tissue DNA methylation between 31 individuals with or without a family history of type 2 diabetes. DNA methylation was analyzed using Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip， an array containing 485，577 probes covering 99% RefSeq genes. Global DNA methylation changed and 17，975 individual CpG sites in 7，663 unique genes showed altered levels of DNA methylation after the exercise intervention (q<0.05). Differential mRNA expression was present in 1/3 of gene regions with altered DNA methylation， including RALBP1， HDAC4 and NCOR2 (q<0.05). Using a luciferase assay， we could show that increased DNA methylation in vitro of the RALBP1 promoter suppressed the transcriptional activity (p = 0.03). Moreover， 18 obesity and 21 type 2 diabetes candidate genes had CpG sites with differences in adipose tissue DNA methylation in response to exercise (q<0.05)， including TCF7L2 (6 CpG sites) and KCNQ1 (10 CpG sites). A simultaneous change in mRNA expression was seen for 6 of those genes. To understand if genes that exhibit differential DNA methylation and mRNA expression in human adipose tissue in vivo affect adipocyte metabolism， we silenced Hdac4 and Ncor2 respectively in 3T3-L1 adipocytes， which resulted in increased lipogenesis both in the basal and insulin stimulated state. In conclusion， exercise induces genome-wide changes in DNA methylation in human adipose tissue， potentially affecting adipocyte metabolism.
