Jogging Can Help in Fighting 'Obesity Genes'

Some people are genetically prone to obesity, those may gain weight more easily than others, no matter how much efforts they did to avoid gaining weight. However, having so-called "obesity genes" does not make a person destined to gain weight, that is, your genes aren't your destiny.. there is  still some way to avoid this.

A new study suggested that certain types of exercise may help ward off obesity, even for those who are genetically predisposed to the condition. The study invloved more than 18,000 people in Taiwan ages 30 to 70. The researchers found that  people who reported engaging in any type of regular exercise tended to have a lower body mass index, or BMI; body fat percentage; and waist and hip circumference) than those who didn't engage in regular exercise. This was true even among people who were genetically prone to obesity.

But one tried-and-true exercise stood out as the one with the strongest anti-obesity effect: jogging.

The researchers wrote in the study which they publish at "The journal PLOS Genetics" that participants with obesity genes who jogged tended to have a lower BMI, lower body fat percentage and a smaller hip circumference than people with similar genetic risk who did not jog.

But for those who loathe jogging, fear not: Five other types of exercise were also tied to a lower BMI among inpiduals at risk for obesity. These included mountain climbing, walking, power walking, certain types of dancing (such as ballroom dancing) and lengthy yoga sessions. According to the study, the benefits of these exercises were biggest among those with the greatest genetic risk of obesity.

Interestingly, several other types of exercise failed to counteract the genetic risk of obesity. These included cycling, stretching exercises and swimming, as well as the video game "Dance Dance Revolution".