London, March 17 : An hour-long brisk walk undertaken every day can reduce the risk of turning obese by half, scientists have found.

Scientists have discovered that the secret to staving off the flab is taking a regular one-hour stroll, as they believe walking can reduce the influence of genes thought to cause obesity by 50 percent, the Daily Express reported.

The conclusions were reached after a study of 10,000 people with a genetic disposition to obesity by the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, USA.

"In our study, a brisk one-hour daily walk reduced the genetic influence towards obesity, measured by differences in body mass index, by half," said lead researcher Qibin Qi.

But those who love slobbing out on the sofa watching TV for four hours a day see their genetic risk of obesity increase by 50 percent, the researchers warned.(IANS)