| Title: | Genome-wide association study of self-reported walking pace suggests beneficial effects of brisk walking on health and survival |
| Journal: | Communications Biology |
| Published: | 30 Oct 2020 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33128006/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-020-01357-7 |
| URL: | https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-020-01357-7.pdf |
Publication 5049
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Abstract
Walking is a simple form of exercise, widely promoted for its health benefits. Self-reported walking pace has been associated with a range of cardiorespiratory and cancer outcomes, and is a strong predictor of mortality. Here we perform a genome-wide association study of self-reported walking pace in 450,967 European ancestry UK Biobank participants. We identify 70 independent associated loci (P < 5 × 10−8), 11 of which are novel. We estimate the SNP-based heritability as 13.2% (s.e. = 0.21%), reducing to 8.9% (s.e. = 0.17%) with adjustment for body mass index. Significant genetic correlations are observed with cardiometabolic, respiratory and psychiatric traits, educational attainment and all-cause mortality. Mendelian randomization analyses suggest a potential causal link of increasing walking pace with a lower cardiometabolic risk profile. Given its low heritability and simple measurement, these findings suggest that self-reported walking pace is a pragmatic target for interventions aiming for general benefits on health.</p>
6 Authors
- Iain R. Timmins
- Francesco Zaccardi
- Christopher P. Nelson
- Paul W. Franks
- Thomas Yates
- Frank Dudbridge
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