It is now proven that jogging is the best exercise for people whose genes make them more likely to be obese.

Skydive Erick / Shutterstock

• A study of more than 18,000 adults revealed that certain types of exercises are helpful in easing weight gain and genetics-related obesity.

• Jogging has proven to be the most effective, followed by mountaineering, brisk walking, walking and long yoga sessions.

• Other research has suggested that exercise in general can help combat the effects of "genes for obesity", but this was the first to evaluate 18 different types of exercise .

• Regardless of your genetics or weight, jogging can have health benefits.

• Visit the INSIDER homepage for more information.

According to a new study, if you have a family history of obesity, a good jogging routine might be your best choice for staying healthy.

The study, published Thursday in PLOS Genetics, focused on 18,424 Chinese adults aged 30 to 70 years old. The researchers measured their body mbad index, body fat percentage, and waist circumference. They also collected genetic information through blood samples and asked them about their exercise routines. Researchers also took into account factors related to age, bad and lifestyle, such as smoking and alcohol consumption.

Each participant was evaluated for the genetic risk of obesity based on genes badociated with a high BMI. The researchers then examined 18 types of exercises to determine which ones produced the best results in terms of healthy weights participants with high risk genes.

Read more: Study – Genetic Testing Predicts Risk of Middle Age Obesity

The researchers found that people who regularly jogged were much more likely to have a BMI, a body fat percentage, and other healthier weight indicators, despite their high risk genes. This suggests that jogging allowed them to mitigate the negative impacts of their genetics as well as to lose weight.

Yoga had a similar effect, but only during longer sessions. "Regular jogging and yoga practice were not only badociated with a decrease in obesity measures, but they also mitigated the genetic predisposition to obesity measures," wrote the authors of the study. # 39; study.

Walking, brisk walking and climbing also helped to compensate for the genetic risk factors of obesity.

The story continues

According to the study, cycling, swimming and stretching were not helpful in countering the effect of genes for obesity. The exercise game Dance Dance Revolution was not either. For some exercises, such as weightlifting, basketball and tennis, there was not enough data to determine their effect.

The researchers concluded that while jogging and exercise are beneficial for everyone, those who could benefit the most are those with a high genetic risk of obesity.

Quinn Rooney / Getty Images

Regardless of genetics or weight, running has health benefits

Previous research has suggested that good exercise habits can outweigh the effects of genetics by keeping a neat waistline, but do not differentiate between types of exercises. And these studies focused only on BMI, which is not a good measure of healthy weight for many people because it does not take into account muscle mbad, which is denser than the fat.

Although jogging is not clearly explained in what this sport is different from other exercises for this population, running has many advantages established for everyone. For example, it improves your blood circulation and the amount of oxygen delivered to your muscles, and research has also suggested that aerobic exercises in general could improve memory, combat cognitive decline, reduce stress and reduce the risk of death, whatever the cause, has already reported INSIDER. .

"And at the same time, it has been shown that mental health and cognitive benefits are also badociated – an improvement in depression and anxiety symptoms badociated with this type of exercise," he said. Shawn ArentFessor and Director of the Department of Exercise Science at the University of South Carolina.

Yet, most exercise professionals say the best exercise for you is the one you will stay with, and research shows that enjoying your workout predicts how likely you are to maintain it.

Read more:

7 signs that you are not overweight or obese, even if your BMI says that you are

The inequality of the activity could be one of the main factors of obesity