Lasy? Blame Genetics

New research suggest couch potatoes are born, not made.

New research indicates that our genetics may play a role in whether or not we are inclined to be active. For this study, the researches studies rats to see which ones willingly ran the most during a six-day period. Then they purposely bred runner with other runners and the laziest ones with their equally slothful peers in order to create a line of "super runner" rats and a line of "couch potato" rats. They studies ten generals of these rodents and found that the runners consistently, and voluntarily, ran ten times more than the lazy line rats.

What's the different between the two groups that explain the wide variation in activity levels? Genes. According to study author Frank Booth, a professor in the MU College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Missouri:

"While we found minor difference in the body composition and levels of mitochondria in the muscle cells of the rats, the most important thing we identified were the genetic differences between the two lines of rats".

In fact, they found 36 specific genes that seemed to play a role in the rats' motivation to work out. The future implications for this are huge, and the researchers plan more studies to figure out exactly how each of the 36 genes they've identified affects physical activity. Who knows, someday, designer babies may be able to come pre-programmed to love exercise and reap all the mental and physical health benefits that come along with it. At the very least, those unlucky enough to be born with the lazy gene could benefit from early interventions to help prevent obesity and encourage physical activity.

Repost: Original Post from our friends at MSN Healthy Living