So let's just give people another excuse not to exercise. Notice in the article the author uses the words "may" and "could" and "might". I guess that's the reason so many Americans are obese. Because our genes MAY be different from everywhere else in the world. They must be because we are the fattest country. Give me a break!

Poorly written. It is painfully obvious the author of the article (not the study) does not understand the basic physiological concepts discussed in the research article-muscles constrict? VO2 max equal endurance? Again poorly written

1. The Japanese eat very little fat
And suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat
And suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine
And suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4 The Italians drink a lot of red wine
And suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans..

5.. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats
And suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION.....

Eat and drink what you like.
Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

The title of this article is extremely misleading to the average American with no education in exercise science. Anyone who has been educated in the field of exercise science should know that exercise is extremely important. It lowers the risk of many diseases, one of them being heart disease, which kills thousands of people every year. There are even studies showing that exercise can have the same effect as medication in treating anxiety and depression, which is a huge issue in America. I hope people read the whole article and realize that although this may show it is more difficult to improve your VO2max, there are so many more reasons to exercise that are not based upon the ability to improve VO2max.

The title is incredibly misleading, as the article itself specifically states that the "discovery" of these genes are not the end-all be-all in terms of who should and should not exercise, but that "more research is needed". Further more, although it denotes that some people have lower endurance than others during exercise (although many of these results probably accont for just all-around laziness) it specifically states that people with low-endurance simply have to work harder.

I agree with bv262, this article misrepresents the research that it discusses and presents it as another excuse for people to be lazy and not exercise. I don't appreciate how the title capitalizes on the shock value of "no wonder why I'm overweight. That's just how my body is."

While I understand that genetics can dictate physical limitations and characteristics such as natural muscularity, the tendency and place of fat storage, and cardiovascular efficiency, saying that VO2 Max is an accurate predictor or the only predictor of physical adaptations from exercise is quite far-fetched.

The article doesn't take into consideration that VO2 max is not the main goal for the majority of exercisers. What about changes in body composition? BMI? Strength? Flexibility? Lowered BP, Cholesterol, cortisol levels?

I am disappointed that this article utilizes a sensationalized title and misrepresented, bad research to mislead readers.

This article is very misleading for implying that VO2 max is the sole variable measuring cardiovascular fitness. VO2 max is the maximal oxygen uptake capacity. It certainly does not "represent endurance", quite the opposite. By definition you cannot do endurance-style training operating at your VO2 max. VO2 max is not necessarily an accurate predictor of success in endurance events for precisely this reason. The training effect, for example, of endurance cardiovascular exercise can increase an athlete's ability to work at an intensity closer to their VO2 max for longer periods without necessarily increasing VO2 max itself. That constitutes an increase in cardiovascular fitness without an increase in VO2 max.