Energy balance
Heterozygosity for UCP2 exon 4 (Ala/Val) and exon 8 (ins/del) polymorphisms is associated with significantly higher sleeping metabolic rate and 24-hour energy expenditure in young Pima Indians.
Your genetics (specifically UCP2 variants) might give you a slightly higher metabolic rate if you carry certain heterozygous forms, burning roughly 100-150 extra calories a day at rest. However, this effect is small and accounts for only a tiny fraction of your total metabolic variation. Focus on controllable factors like diet and exercise, as your genes are not a barrier to weight management.
The average sleeping metabolic rate of subjects heterozygous for the Ala/Val polymorphism of exon 4 of UCP2 was 153 kcal/day higher than Ala/Ala homozygotes and 52 kcal/day higher than Val/Val homozygotes (P = 0.007)... The average sleeping metabolic rate in individuals heterozygous for the insertion/deletion polymorphism in the 3'-untranslated region of exon 8 of UCP2 was similarly higher than for del/del and ins/ins homozygotes: 135 and 54 kcal/day, respectively (P = 0.016).
Why this rating
Observational genetic association study in a specific population; statistically significant but effect sizes are modest and population-specific.
Source
Association between uncoupling protein polymorphisms (UCP2-UCP3) and energy metabolism/obesity in Pima indians
Ken Walder · Human Molecular Genetics · 1998
DOI 10.1093/hmg/7.9.1431
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