A ray of hope for couch potatoes

Scientists have discovered the genetic mutation which makes some humans lazier than the others and offered a ray of hope of a pill to counter it.

They say that the newly found "coach potato gene" plays a crucial role in the brain, turning some people less inclined to exercise.

Conducted by scientists from the University of Aberdeen and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the study has offered hope for the possibility of medication to reduce laziness, Daily Mail reported.

By comparing normal mice with those that had the key mutation, scientists discovered that the gene produces a protein which plays a vital role in the brain's dopamine system, which increases someone's inclination to carry out physical activity.

But when the affected mice were treated with a drug which activates dopamine receptors, the problem was reversed while turning the mice more active and losing weight.

Study leader Wei Li, from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology in Beijing, said the results could lead to a possible treatment for humans.

The researchers, whose work is published in the journal PLOS Genetics, also screened 400 overweight Chinese patients with metabolic syndrome and found that two of them had the same genetic mutation.