• Skip to content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Shop ModernMom
  • Become An Insider

ModernMom

The premiere destination for moms

  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Kids
    • Tweens and Teens
    • ModernMom Monday Videos
  • Cooking
  • Living Healthy
    • Breast Cancer
    • Health & Fitness
    • Body after Baby
    • Beauty
    • Relationships
    • Love
  • Lifestyle
    • Crafts
    • At Home
    • Education
    • Travel
    • Pets
    • Decorate
    • Money
    • Brooke Burke
  • Celebrate
    • Holidays
      • Easter
      • Valentine’s Day
      • New Year’s
      • Christmas
      • Hanukah
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
    • Birthdays
    • Parties
  • Must Have
  • Contests
  • Entertainment

Genes Influence Desire to Exercise

May 19, 2010 by ModernMom Staff Leave a Comment

Do your genes dictate whether or not you want to exercise? Research suggests…a little bit.

By studying 37,051 sets of twins, European researchers set out to see if this was the case. Identical twins share 100 percent of their genome, fraternal twins share 50 percent. So if a behavior is more common between identical twins than between fraternal twins, it is presumably being directed to some degree by genes.

In the 2006 study, scientists looked at the decision to exercise of twin pairs ages 19 to 40 in Australia, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Overall, the identical-twin pairs were more likely to share an exercise pattern than the fraternal twins.

Using complicated formulas, the scientists concluded that differences in exercise behavior were about 60% attributable to genes. In other words, the DNA you received from your parents does have an influence on your decision to be active or not.
 
Knowing this fact can't rule our lives, however. "Right now, most people don’t exercise, even though we all know that, for health reasons, we should," Tuomo Rankinen, an associate professor with the Human Genomics Laboratory at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La., and expert on exercise genetics, says. Maybe through our knowledge of genetics, ‘‘we can find ways to help make exercise easier or more attractive for people.’’

But no blaming DNA if you decide to skip a trip to the gym or that yoga class! ‘‘Even at the highest percentages of likely heritability’’ of exercise behavior, Mr. Rankinen says, the choice to exercise is yours.

Comments

comments

Filed Under: Hot Topics

About ModernMom Staff

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Search

Tell a friend

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
ModernMom Boutique

ModernMom TV

Featured

20 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Had Kids

After seeing and holding the newest member of our family … [Read More...] about 20 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Had Kids

Must Have

STEM-related Toys to Include in Your Child’s Easter Basket This Year 

April has arrived which means it’s time to pull out the food … [Read More...] about STEM-related Toys to Include in Your Child’s Easter Basket This Year 

Did you know?

Use Frozen Bananas for Baking

How to Use Frozen Bananas for Baking

Cravings & the Sex of the Baby

Cravings & the Sex of the Baby

Coconut Oil

Why Coconut Oil Is So Good For Pregnant & Nursing Mothers

Signs of Gestational Diabetes

Pregnancy & Signs of Gestational Diabetes

How Soon After a C-Section Can I Get Pregnant Again?

Quick Ways to Cook a Round Steak

Quick Ways to Cook a Round Steak

How to Bake Thin Sliced Turkey Cutlets

Footer

  • About Us
  • Contact ModernMom
  • Advertise With Us
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contributors

Copyright © 2022 Modern Mom. All Rights Reserved.

Reproduction of any portion of this website only at the express permission of Mom, Inc.

The information provided on ModernMom is for educational use only. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.