Whilst jeans and exercising may not work together, research into how our genes relate to our ability to exercise could prove very beneficial in understanding the human body. With obesity and many other exercise related health problems becoming more of an issue in today’s world, the need for exercise follows suit, and logically, so does research into how exercise works. It is known that some find it easier to lose weight than others and some are naturally more capable athletes than others. To support these observations scientists have so far identified a number of genes which affect our ability to ‘adapt to exercise.’
Adaptation to exercise simply refers to a person’s ability to improve in a particular area of exercise by repeating the exercise. If a person jogs every day, for example, then over time they will be able to jog faster and longer. This is because their body has adapted to the exercise. Dr. Olfert, of the University of California, examined the absence of an exercise related gene in mice. He found that mice without this gene were able to adapt to exercise more efficiently than mice with the gene.
Olfert also found that the gene FHL-1, affected a person’s ability to regulate their body’s glucose level. People who possessed one variant of the gene were able to avoid diabetes by exercising, whilst those with a different variant were not. Other research discovered that a person’s maximum oxygen intake was significantly affected by their genetics.
The problems encountered with this research are related to the great number of exercise related, and non-exercise related genes, and the complication of their combining effects. It could, however, contribute to a variety of scientific advancements in the near future. At the same time, it may also bring rise to even more ethical issues in the genetic engineering of animals and/or humans. For example, race horses and grey hounds with a genetically enhanced ability to adapt to exercise would likely be considered cheating; becoming a legal issue in the future, provided such advancements become applied commercially or illegally. Furthermore, applying this research on humans by altering particular genes could potentially cause unintended negative affects on the body. Regardless of this, research into how our genes affect our ability to adapt to exercise may provide further insight into the workings of our muscles and muscle-related diseases.
By 42017419
Sources:
Guilfoy, C 2009, Medical News Today, 19 March, viewed 22 March 2009,
Images: http://images.teamsugar.com/files/users/1/12981/20_2007/get-physical-jog.jpg
