What is the Right Diet and Exercise for Weight Loss? Let Your DNA Decide
By Anne Mitchell, ND
that our DNA makes us who we are. It’s the unique code that each of us is born with and dictates much about our health, appearance, and development. But recent research shows that the “destiny” that your DNA lays out for you may not necessarily be set in stone. Simple changes in lifestyle choices have the ability to promote or silence genes in your DNA that lead to adverse health later in life.
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Each time we visit the doctor for a routine physical, we’re asked about our family health history. This question relates directly back to your DNA. When we say that everyone on our father’s side has a history of high cholesterol, it means that it’s extremely likely that we share whatever gene causes this and may ultimately end up with high cholesterol as well. Many of these heritable traits are unavoid- able. We inherited the trait from one of our parents and that’s all there is to it. But diet can infl uence whether or not these genes become more active or suppressed over time.
While there is still much research to be conducted surrounding the link between diet and gene expression, one of the most compel- ling results suggests that the link may be stronger than originally anticipated. In a recent study, it was discovered that patients who followed diets containing 60% more carbs exhibited an over expres- sion of the genes associated with cardiovascular diseases and diabe- tes. Similar results have been seen in regards to the genes associated with conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Ul- timately, people who carry the genes associated with these diseases speed up their adverse effects with the wrong diet.
We’ve all realized for some time now that diet has a direct cor- relation to weight loss and weight gain, but understanding that diet can alter the future of your own health is groundbreaking. It’s why genetics is becoming an increasingly important platform in health and fi tness. Understanding your genetic predisposition for certain diseases as well as your body’s ability to respond to diet and exer- cise writes a better prescription for increased health than any doctor could prescribe with medication. Finding a diet that’s unique to your body’s genetic make-up can suppress the expression of those bad genes we wished we’d never inherited. Essentially, eating more veg- gies may not make your family health history irrelevant, but it could stave off the effects of that high cholesterol that’s oh so common on your father’s side. Now the key is to fi gure out how YOUR unique body works. You can, of course, track your body composition for months, or years, while you use a trial and error process to evalu-
26 Natural Nutmeg - January/February 2017
hether your knowledge of DNA only extends as far as your high school biology class or you’re a PhD student elbows deep in genetic research, it’s universal knowledge
ate different workouts and diets, OR you can test your genes. In the end, our genetics play a pivotal role in our overall health and fi tness levels.
Does Knowing Your Genetics Improve Your Behavior? As the brave new world of genetics marches forward and pro- vides us with more and more information about the building blocks of our physical body, will knowing the qualities of these building blocks change our actual behavior?
If you were told that your body has a lower than average predis- position to lose weight, how would you feel about that? Would that encourage and motivate you to change your behavior? Or would it discourage you from doing anything? The belief is that knowing this information is more valuable than not knowing. As long as the inter- pretation of the data and the genetic data itself is scientifi cally valid, then how can knowing this information not be valuable?
If your genetics show that you are predisposed to having more
diffi culty losing weight compared to others, does that mean you are doomed to be overweight? Of course not. In addition to your genetic make-up, your environment and biomarker levels such as nutrients, lipids, and hormones are critical factors in your ability to lose weight.
Ultimately, if you know your genetic markers, your biomarkers
and your environment, you can have a path laid out in front of you to lose weight. It is completely up to you whether you change your behavior to do so or not. Being fully armed with knowledge, and working with a health coach will provide the motivation and ac- countability you need to reach your weight loss goals.
Genetics is the Future of Preventive Health Genetic testing has moved into the mainstream and is the future
of preventive health. In addition to the thousands of tests being of- fered for medical conditions and diseases, the science and research behind genetic testing related to lifestyle and wellness markers has progressed to the point of understanding the specifi c genes dictating how the human body processes carbohydrates, fat, protein, micro- nutrients, and how specifi c genes determine the effectiveness of certain fi tness activities.
Clinical studies and research on genetic testing related to life- style and wellness markers have been rapidly increasing in quality and volume since the human genome was fi rst mapped in 2003. As the testing technology improves and the cost of analyzing an
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