Any apple-shaped person will tell you that one or more of their ancestors had the same shape. It's hereditary. All the studies in the world cannot change a person's genetic makeup, so stop wasting money just to let us know that our genes are going to kill us early.
Any person, male or female can lose the apple shape if they really want to..most don't...they don't care.
It’s part heredity, the other part is...carbs.
Books like “Why We Get Fat”, “Wheat Belly”, and “Good Calories, Bad Calories” lay out the link.
High carb diets cause you to maintain an increased insulin level. Increased insulin levels cause you to store visceral fat (on men, this is usually deposited in the abdomen—a beer belly, on women this is usually deposited on the thighs and buttocks—the pear-shaped woman).
The typical American in the past only got about 1/3 of their calories from carbohydrates. Today, the typical American gets about 2/3 of their total calories from carbohydrates. The “belly fat” epidemic can be directly traced to this diet change of most Americans over the last few decades.
Sugar is a carb (did you know that?) Grains and potatoes are high in carbs. Avoid things that are high in carbs (like beer, bread, pasta, and candy) and you can get rid of the belly/pear shape.