[Kortni C.]

Casey, there is a scientific explanation to your question. There are two types of muscle tissue: slow twitch and fast twitch. Slow is designed for endurance and stamina. Fast is designed for short bursts of power and speed. Which muscle fiber do you think would be more beneficial in an environment where people needed to suddenly sprint very fast to survive? Fast twitch, of course. Man evolved from Africa. Survival depended on a person’s ability to run at top speeds while hunting, and also from fleeing from wild animals. Early man in Africa evolved to have a high ratio of fast-twitch muscle fibers. As man migrated out of Africa, having a high percentage of fast twitch was no longer necessary for survival; thus, more and more people with high ratios of slow twitch were able to survive, and pass these genes on to their descendants (who became ‘whiter’ as man migrated into northern Europe). Modern blacks still have high percentages of fast twitch muscle, which is why top-speed sprinting is more prevalent among them. One respondent suggested the reason fast running is more prevalent among blacks is that American slave masters bred in these qualities. But this doesn’t explain why blacks whose ancestors were never even in the States, such as those from the Bahamas, Jamaica, etc., are also blessed with fast twitch muscle. Another respondent suggested that blacks jumped on the band wagon when sprinting became popular, and all their dedicated training is why they’re so fast. But this doesn’t explain why such fast running is often seen among black children as young as seven and eight. Simply put, blacks, collectively, have a higher ratio of fast twitch muscle fiber to slow twitch, which their ancestors needed to survive in the African environment.

User Detail :  

Name : Kortni C., Gender : F, City : Littleton, State : CO, Country : United States,