The Influence of Fat Mass and Obesity-Associated (FTO) Gene on the Effect of Physical Activity (PA) on Risk of Obesity: Scoping Review

Purpose We aimed to conduct a scoping review by reviewing studies that investigated the influence of the fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene on the effect of physical activity (PA) on risk of obesity. The research questions of this review were: (1) “What is known from existing literature about the influence of the FTO gene on the effect of physical activity on obesity?” (2) “What are the gaps in existing literature in that area?” Methods Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Checklist and the five-stage methodological framework outlined by Arksey and O’Malley were utilized to conduct this scoping review. Four online databases were searched for articles between July 2021 and August 2021. The articles were chosen to be included if they were: published in English; included male and/or female adult participants (ages 18–65); looked at the effect of FTO on overweight/obesity; and included PA/exercise/physical fitness intervention or examination. Excluded studies were studies with a population that had a diagnosis of any disorder or condition other than obesity. Results Nine articles were selected for this scoping review, one of which is a conference abstract. Based on the type, the articles were categorized into intervention ( n = 3), observational ( n = 5), and review article ( n = 1). All articles were summarized in terms of questions and main findings. Conclusion This scoping review presented evidence that the FTO gene could influence the effect of PA on obesity. The gaps in knowledge were evident in the limited number of intervention studies.