A group of scientists from various Chinese and Scottish universities has stated this in their recent study published in the journal PLoS Genetics . The “laziness gene” would thus explain why some people find it so difficult to move or perform physical activity and, therefore, their higher obesity rate.
The researchers analyzed the genetic chemistry and brains of mice with this gene mutation (a variant of the SLC35D3 gene associated with obesity), and found that obesity influenced weight, food intake, metabolism and levels of physical activity. of laboratory rodents. The control group of mice, which did not have the genetic mutation, ate the same amount of food as the others to decouple caloric intake from energy expenditure.
Apparently this genetic mutation interrupts the release of dopamine (associated with reward and physical pleasure) which made the mice inactive and more obese, in addition to having higher levels of cholesterol and hyperlipidemia (more fat in the blood) .
But the experiment still had one more phase and perhaps the most significant one. The researchers designed a chemical that precisely enhanced the release of dopamine in the brain . The results could not be more positive: the lazy mice became much more active in addition to losing the excess weight they were supporting.
The conclusions of the study suggest that it is possible to alter the effect of this genetic mutation of laziness thanks to a chemical compound. The next step will be to check whether these results can also be extrapolated to human beings.
