Do you seem to put on a few pounds every holiday season? Not surprisingly, this happens to many people during the winter doldrums. Some of it can be attributed to the less-than-healthy holiday options served at most parties, but the crux of the problem is based less on candy and more on evolution and science.

Our very distant ancestors (I'm talking Neanderthal distant) were oftentimes faced with a dearth of food options during the winter season. In response, the human body slowed down the metabolism, thus helping to ensure survival until the warmer and more plentiful months returned. For some reason, we have evolved well past being impressed by fire, but for some reason this winter survival mode persists. But how does it actually happen?

Well, science may have at least found somewhat of an answer to that question. According to a recent study from the National Institute of Mental Health, some people may not process leptin (a hormone that regulates cravings and hunger) as efficiently during the winter. Researchers aren't exactly sure why this occurs, but they do agree that a reduction in leptin production can lead to increased appetite and, in turn, weight gain.

One way to increase leptin production is to make sure that you are getting enough sleep, as it is during times of rest that this hormone is created. Also, leptin deficiency has been linked to low zinc intake. Since zinc has also been shown to reduce the severity of a cold if taken at the earliest stages, you may want to have some of this mineral stocked up already.

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Recent research has shown that humans are evolving at a faster rate than normal as anthropological differences are becoming more widespread than in the recent past.

Henry Harpending, a lead anthropological researcher on how humans are rapidly evolving, said that "I was raised with the belief that modern humans showed up 40,000 to 50,000 years ago and haven't changed ... the opposite seems to be true. Our species is not static."

Are we evolving really, really fast? Well, yes and no -- evolution takes thousands of years, but the rate at which many of us living in close proximity are becoming more different is rapidly changing according to experts. The research also showed that evolution had been much slower in the recent past than in the present.

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As I sit down to work in the afternoon, I often have the TV blaring away in the background, and while most people would find it impossible to work in such conditions, I don't really like TV (especially daytime TV) so I find it easy to tune out. Over the past few weeks, I've listened with mild amusement to some old episodes of The Dr. Phil House, where opposites are pitted against one another in a blatant attempt at ratings. If you haven't seen it, it's a reality TV-style house that contains a fat guy who hates skinny people and a skinny girl who hates fat people, plus an array of other colorful combinations.

I do have a point here. A study shows that the skinny girl who hates fat people might not just be prejudiced -- it might be an evolved response. According to The Independent in Britain, when a slim person sees an obese person, their immune system is triggered because the brain relates site of the obese person to a fear of infection. Moreover, in a series of questions given to subjects, the people who exhibited disgust toward germs and bad hygiene were more likely to discriminate against someone based on their weight.

But regardless of whether it's a "natural" reaction, discrimination is still wrong, and I think being prejudiced is ultimately a learned behavior. What do you think?

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