DNA string
Have you ever gone on a diet plan before and wondered why it didn’t work for you?
Maybe you weren’t to blame. Maybe your DNA was the reason why you failed to lose weight.
Sounds farfetched? Well, a new test claims to be able to find out whether you’re genetically inclined to lose weight on a low-carb diet or on a low-fat one.
We all have individual DNA makeup that determines pretty much everything about the way our body works. A new test from Waltham, Mass.-based Interleukin Genetics Inc. claims to be able to identify the genes that decide which sort of diet plan will be best for us.
The company approached Stanford University to study their new test which costs $149 a pop.
The researchers from Stanford tested 4 different diets in the study: That study tested four diets — Atkins (ultra-low-carb), the Zone (low-carb), Ornish (very low-fat) or a low-fat diet following the federal Food Pyramid.
The study group comprised of 138 women who sent DNA samples to Interleukin which compiled their genetic makeup and assigned each of them a “diet type” according to their gene test.
The study found that those women who went on diets that coincided with their “diet type” lost 13 pounds over a year compared to less than 3 pounds for women on mismatched diets. Naturally, this is a significant difference.
Some scientists were unpersuaded by the study. “I’m afraid this may be another attempt to lure the public into purchasing genetic tests that provide little value for those struggling with their weight,” said Raymond Rodriguez, director of the National Center of Excellence for Nutritional Genomics at the University of California, Davis.
It certainly seems like this kind of genetic testing is going to be a big part of the future of diets and may become an industry in itself.
But what about behavioral elements? Isn’t the fact that we gain or lose weight depends more on how we act, how and what we eat, and whether we workout?
In addition, a study group of 138 women doesn’t seem big enough to provide a truly conclusive results.
Yes, one of the participants, Jacqueline Gardner, 55, of Evergreen, Calif., does believe that the test works and is valid. She is reported to have gone down from 200 pounds at the start of the study to 185, but regained all the weight back two years later.
“I now know why I gained it back,” she stated — the gene test showed she does not metabolize carbohydrates well. She then switched to a high-protein diet and now weighs 180.
Naturally, the key to any weight maintenance and weight loss still remains following a healthy diet plan and working out regularly.
While genes may play a role in determining the best way for you to lose weight, it is your behavior that counts the most.
Source: Yahoo news
