Have you struggled with weight loss or long-term weight management? You are not alone. Working as a Registered Dietitian for almost 20 years now, this has been a very common concern that many of my clients have. Most recently in my career, I have been working with genetic testing technology to help me and my clients create personalized nutrition and lifestyle goals. It has been the most rewarding experience I have ever had as a dietitian. I see how motivated my clients are when they receive their own personalized Nutrition and Fitness Report that is specific to their genetic make-up. In the NOW randomized control trial published in the BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health 2020 by Horne et al outcomes showed that weight management interventions guided by nutrigenomics can motivate long-term improvements in dietary fat intake above and beyond gold-standard population-based interventions. More similar studies can be found related to DNA -based dietary advice.

Nutrigenomics uses genomic technologies and genetic information to address issues important to nutrition and health, as well as performance, fertility, and other outcomes. The main goal of Nutrigenomics is to optimize these health-related outcomes by examining how individual genetic differences modify our response to diet. There is a growing body of scientific evidence showing that our genes can modify our response to a variety of dietary factors to impact our risk of common chronic diseases, athletic performance, fertility, weight management and body composition and other health related outcomes.

For this article, let’s focus specifically on weight management. Numerous studies have shown that a variant in the FTO gene (fat mass and obesity-associated gene) is associated with increased risk of obesity. Fortunately, engaging in physical activity has been shown to reduce the risk of obesity among those who carry the FTO gene variant. Physical activity can reduce the effects of the FTO gene on risk of overweight and obesity by as much as 75%. In addition, a variant in the gene influences the amount of adipose (fat) tissue lost in response to cardiovascular exercise. Current research shows that specific dietary and lifestyle activity recommendations can help with weight loss and weight maintenance in individuals with certain variants of the FTO gene.

The UCP1 gene is involved in metabolic processes and impacts our RMR (resting metabolic rate). Research shows that individuals who have a certain variant of the UCP1 gene tend to have a lower RMR compared to other individuals. For weight loss, those individuals have more success when their energy deficit is greater than the general recommendations. With Nutrigenomix you can find this information about yourself! It seems mind-blowing but it is just incredible science.

How often have you heard of people trying high protein diets for weight loss? Maybe you are one of those people. You or someone you know may have had success whereas others may not have. Did you know that your genes can tell us a lot about whether a high protein diet would help you with weight loss and long-term weight maintenance? Consumption of protein contributes to satiety (that feeling of fullness), which can help you feel more satisfied with fewer calories. For individuals at risk for overweight and obesity based on the FTO gene variant, a high protein diet can help with weight loss and weight maintenance over both the short and long-term. Knowing this information will help us to create a plan that works for you.

Like protein, did you know that some individuals respond better to weight loss when consuming a low-fat diet compared to others? The TCD7L2 gene provides a personalized recommendation for fat intake based on this marker. The FTO gene mentioned above can also tell us how you would respond to a diet based on the types of fats you are choosing, specifically saturated fat and polyunsaturated fats. Again, take the guessing out of which type of diet is best for you. It is all there for you in your personalized Nutrition and Fitness Report. We can now recommend actionable steps to get you started on meeting your goals.

Many of this gene information may sound like jargon to some but all that you must know is that there is an amazing tool that you can access to personalize your weight and overall health outcomes. It is scientifically based and only needs to be done once. Unlike the jeans you must take off and wash, these genes never change!

See one of the episodes of “Losing It” with CHAT TV’s Dan Reynish where Dan and I dive into his Nutrigenomix report.

https://chatnewstoday.ca/losing-it/

Copyright 2021 Jennifer Paterson