Born to be Lazy

Physical activity is recommended as part of every healthy lifestyle in order to maintain appropriate body weight and composition and to prevent a myriad of diseases. Now, researchers suggest that genetics plays a role in how much voluntary physical activity one is likely to engage in. Predispositions to active, athletic lifestyles are passed on from generation to generation, as are predispositions to be sedentary.

The current study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, analyzes house mice that have been selectively bred for high-activity lifestyles. The mice have been bred for 43 generations to include 4 lines of high runners (HR) and 4 corresponding control lines. Overall, at this generation, the HR mice ran almost 3 times as many revolutions per day on exercise wheels than the control mice. The increased number of revolutions was due to increased speed in the HR mice more than increased time spent running, compared to the control mice.

Through several similar studies on previous generations of mice, the same researchers have proved that activity levels can be enhanced by selective breeding. That is, offspring of mice who enjoy high levels of activity also enjoy high levels of activity. In addition to voluntarily engaging in wheel running, the HR mice have evolved over dozens of generations to have increased running economy, spending less energy per distance run compared to control mice. Over time, HR mice also showed lower body mass and less body fat, despite consuming more food, as well as increased oxygen consumption, higher muscle aerobic capacity, and lower anaerobic muscle capacity than the more sedentary control mice.

The authors assert that this research has implications for human health, and that, in the future, activity-related genes could be targeted with drug therapy to increase a person’s enjoyment in engaging in physical activity. With obesity levels skyrocketing, such an intervention might be useful. Other research suggests that the dopamine system of motivation and reward regulates physical activity levels in humans. This regulatory system has been proposed as another target of pharmacological therapy to prevent inactivity-related diseases in the future.

Researchers have also shown that, while many traits in humans may be genetically predisposed, it is possible to override one’s genetics. People who are susceptible to being obese, based on genetic makeup, can reduce their risk of obesity by choosing to live an active lifestyle. As with almost all human traits, reducing the epidemic of overweight and inactivity to a simple genetic problem is likely too simplistic. Human behaviors and diseases are a result of a combination of biological and environmental factors in most cases. And with physical activity and exercise, current health status, physical limitations, and the role of childhood experiences affect the inclination to be a couch potato or a competitive athlete.

While the research surrounding voluntary physical activity could shed some light on why some people prefer watching television while others enjoy running marathons, the results should not allow people to blame their genes for all their ills. People, more than the mice in the study, make choices about their lifestyle and activity levels. True, it may be harder for some to overcome environmental or genetic susceptibilities to a sedentary lifestyle, but not impossible. Refuse to be defined by genetics and run fast and run far in the rat race of life.

This description is very useful for the lazy people, all the reason are mention
whey they feel lazy and how can they get ride from the laziness.

This is all very informative. As much as the scientists had intentions to make a great discovery & use that as a "cure", it's mostly up to each of us what our metabolism and fitness will be. Of course, with all the healthy eating & exercising a person does to improve his/her health, it may be a nice "boost" to use a vaccine or pill or what have you that would help a little bit more, like for a runner about to go for a marathon. I learned a lot from reading this article.

Most of America is lazy, it's not an insult - it's fact. Anyways, very detailed and nice post!

This may come as a shock, but people aren't mice.

A human has a key difference from a mouse - they know that they're a distinct, living thing, and they're able to exercise control over their own actions. A mouse runs more because it is programmed to; it doesn't even know it's a mouse or what running is, it's just responding in its own primitive way to its biological urges. For humans this is not the case, so actually genes don't fly as an excuse at all, let alone as a mitigating factor.

So where do I get this new drug that will make me WANT to exercise??? Put me on the list!!

Nobody takes me seriously but according to my diet and lifestyle I should weigh 300 pounds. It's a genetic miracle that I don't. I am by most standards, especially American standards, quite thin... but I am not healthy. The reason I am here posting in this forum is because of a personality disorder that manifests in many ways, one of which is self sabotage. I work out for vanity reasons, then when I reach or approach my goal, I stop working out and start eating ice cream by the bucket. As if my job is done, check that off the list, no worries about ever having to do it again. Yeah, DUH!!! That's really dumb and I know how dumb it sounds but I cannot seem to keep myself on any sort of physical exertion schedule. Never was athletic, could not hit a ball if my life depended on it. :-\

Am I alone in this???

Lethargy may be built into our DNA, say researchers.
Hereditary attributes may incline some individuals to being less propelled for physical diligent work, a study prescribed yesterday.
Specialists were ready to specifically breed rats that were either amazingly dynamic or greatly sluggish and they say this shows that heredity assume a part in our eagerness to work out.