Added on 05/02/10
Jogging is one of the most popular forms of exercise. Yet, as a trial at the University of London has revealed, the activity could be a waste of time for some people.
Genetic differences mean that only 80% of the British population benefit s from aerobic excercise, the researchers say. For the other one fifth of the country, activities like jogging may have no effect.
The research team reached this conclusion after a test involving 500 people. They began to jog regularly and, months later, they were tested for health improvements. Most saw an increase in the maximum oxygen their body consumed during exercise: a good sign of aerobic fitness. On the other hand some saw no or very few improvements.
Low oxygen consumption is linked to premature illness and death, so these new findings could be vitally important. It may eventually be recommended that those who do not benefit from jogging should concentrate on other means of exercise, according to those who ran the study. Improving your diet, or taking medication, could be just as helpful in these cases.
These findings could have a number of additional implications for other areas of life and work. It has been suggested, for instance, that the army could use the discovery as the basis for a more DNA-based selection process. Pre-entry tests could determine whether some people would ever be able to reach the required level of fitness required by the forces. This would thus reduce the number of cases where recruits join the army, before being sadly turned away for not making the grade in terms of their fitness.
Around one third of adults partake in the recommended amount of exercise every day. Modern living can make it hard for people to stay active: whether bound to a desk, or sitting in the car on the way to work, it is understandable that we don’t always exercise as much as we should. At the same time, it is important to keep our bodies and minds healthy.
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