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Couch Potatoes May Be Genetically Predisposed to Being Lazy, MU Study Finds

By Guest PostMay 14, 2013Scienceamerican adults, childhood obesity, couch potato rats, exercise, extreme laziness, frank booth, genetic traits, michael roberts, mitochondria, motivation to exercise, muscle cells, physical activity motivation, rna, sedentary lifestyle, specific genes, super runner, united states, university of missouri, veterinary medicine

Genetics could be a reason some people are motivated to exercise more than others

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Studies show 97 percent of American adults get less than 30 minutes of exercise a day, which is the minimum recommended amount based on federal guidelines. New research from the University of Missouri suggests certain genetic traits may predispose people to being more or less motivated to exercise and remain active. Frank Booth, a professor in the MU College of Veterinary Medicine, along with his post-doctoral fellow Michael Roberts, were able to selectively breed rats that exhibited traits of either extreme activity or extreme laziness. They say these rats indicate that genetics could play a role in exercise motivation, even in humans.

“We have shown that it is possible to be genetically predisposed to being lazy,” Booth said. “This could be an important step in identifying additional causes for obesity in humans, especially considering dramatic increases in childhood obesity in the United States. It would be very useful to know if a person is genetically predisposed to having a lack of motivation to exercise, because that could potentially make them more likely to grow obese.” (more…)

Who Likes Bling? The Answer Relates To Social Status

By Guest PostDecember 28, 2012Cultureadam galinsky, african americans, american adults, bling, capitalistic, consumer preferences, consumption oriented society, demographic characteristics, derek rucker, eric anderson, feelings, flat screen tv, high status, high status goods, high status products, low status job, nine point scale, philip mazzocco, positive evaluations, racial minorities, social status

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A desire for expensive, high-status goods is related to feelings of social status – which helps explain why minorities are attracted to bling, a new study suggests.

Previous research had shown that racial minorities spend a larger portion of their incomes than do whites on conspicuous consumption – buying products that suggest high status. (more…)

Americans Gaining More Weight than They Say

By Guest PostAugust 7, 2012General, Healthali mokdad, american adults, americans, behavioral risk factor, black, catherine wetmore, chronic condition, diabetes, health impact, heart disease, hispanic, native american, obesity, physical activity, smokers, united states, university of washington, weight

Despite the increasing awareness of the problem of obesity in the United States, most Americans don’t know whether they are gaining or losing weight, according to new research from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, also known at IHME, at the University of Washington.

Obesity increased in the U.S. between 2008 and 2009, but in response to the questions about year-to-year changes in weight that were included in the most widespread public health survey in the country, on average, people said that they lost weight. Men did a worse job estimating their own weight changes than women. And older adults were less attuned to their weight changes than young adults. The findings are being published in the article “In denial: misperceptions of weight change among adults in the United States” in the August edition of Preventive Medicine. (more…)

Tag Archives: american adults

Couch Potatoes May Be Genetically Predisposed to Being Lazy, MU Study Finds

Who Likes Bling? The Answer Relates To Social Status

Americans Gaining More Weight than They Say