There may be truth to the fact that the apple doesn’t fall from the tree—and that your love for physical activity is inherited. A genetic data review from more than 700,000 people shows associations between exercise and DNA regions.

People who exhibit certain DNA variants are more likely to prefer spending their leisure time doing moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activities; other variants seem more linked to sitting and watching television programs. Study authors attribute these relationships to how certain genes affect individual muscular responses to training.

“Our results show that this [building block of a protein] change [in DNA] results in more elastic muscle fibers that can deliver less force but are likely less susceptible to exercise-induced muscle damage,” said Andrew Emmerich, PhD student, department of cell and molecular biology, Uppsala University. “We think this reduced risk of muscle damage after exercise makes it easier for people to have a more active lifestyle.”

Researchers noted 46 genes in 99 DNA regions that could underlie the connection between genetics and physical activity. Pathways involving locomotion and muscle weakness from muscle fiber dysfunction  may be involved. “We cannot currently claim that these 46 genes cause someone to be more or less physically active in daily life, but they provide great leads for future studies,” said senior investigator Marcel den Hoed, PhD, Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology at Uppsala University.

The research on exercise and DNA is reported in Nature Genetics (2022; 54, 1332–44).