www.balancedhealthtoday.com vibraboard.info Scientists hope the findings could pave the way for personalized obesity treatments in the future. Unlike some past research – such as a 2008 study of about 700 Amish people that found it may take a punishing three to four hours a day of exercise to whip your genes into shape – the new paper suggests that even little boosts (like taking the stairs at lunch and parking a bit farther away from the office) can make a big difference in overcoming your genetic makeup. “You don’t have to run marathons,” says Dr. Loos. “It is sufficient to do some physical activity.” The authors speculate that the differences in results could be due to characteristics specific to the populations in past studies or the small sample sizes in previous research. The strengths of Loos’ study include its range of included genetic variants and its large sample size. But there is also a notable weakness: the fact that participants were required to self-report their exercise habits rather than actually be observed on the Stairmaster by scientists. Still, with the number of obese adults worldwide expected to bloat to 700 million by 2015, any suggestion that we can overcome our genes and whittle our waistlines is welcome news. Singapore, Singapore Honduras, Tegucigalpa Suriname, Paramaribo Iran, Teheran Mauritania, Nouakchott Suriname, Paramaribo Pachuca Mozambique, Maputo Miami Gardens, Florida, USA Luxembourg, Luxembourg City www.balancedhealthtoday.com www …