"Nutrigenetic" diets may aid weight loss: study

Last Updated: 2007-11-07 15:40:33 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Creating personalized diets, based on an individual's genetic makeup, helps overweight individuals lose weight and keep it off, the results of a new study suggest.

In a review of patient records, the researchers found that people who went on "nutrigenetically tailored diets" were more apt to stick to the diet, and had greater success in the long term.

"This study proves that a personalized diet based on genetics leads to significant advances in long-term weight management," said Dr. Rosalynn D. Gill, chief science officer with Sciona Inc., the Boulder, Colorado-based company that partially funded the study and makes the testing system used to develop a person's nutrigenetic diet.

The "MyCellf Kit" (www.Mycellf.com) uses cheek cells obtained by swab brush to screen DNA for 24 variations in 19 genes known to affect nutrient metabolism.

Gill and colleagues compared the case histories of 50 "nutrigenetic" dieters with those of 43 patients who did not receive a nutrigenetically tailored diet. All of the patients were attending a weight loss clinic in Athens, Greece, and all followed a traditional weight management program involving a Mediterranean diet, coupled with exercise and regular follow-up clinic visits. The diet of the nutrigenetic group, however, was modified from the standard Mediterranean diet based on the genetic results of each subject.

In the first few months, both groups lost a similar amount of weight, the researchers report in the online journal BioMed Central: Nutrition Journal.

However, after about one year, the traditional diet group showed a slight average weight gain while the nutrigenetic dieters continued to lose weight.

After 300 days, the nutrigenetic dieters were roughly five-times more likely to have maintained their weight loss than were the traditional dieters. The nutrigenetic dieters were also more apt to see improvements in their blood sugar levels.

This study, the researchers conclude, suggests that adding a genetic, personalized component to a weight loss program may improve motivation and compliance. "It is also possible that the personalized diet is better suited by optimizing the content of macro- and micro-nutrients for an individual during a period when overall food consumption is reduced and energy expenditure increased," they write.

"We believe the success found here is based on an individual learning how to personalize their nutrition and lifestyle to match their genes," Gill told Reuters Health.

SOURCE: BMC-Nutrition Journal, online October 18, 2007.