See? I KNEW they was a reason I was fat - I'm using the wrong diet!

Yeah - that's right! The wrong diet!

Low-carb? Low-fat? Genetic test may help determine most effective option
Reuters
updated 3:14 p.m. CT, Wed., March. 3, 2010

WASHINGTON - A new genetic test may help dieters decide whether they would lose more weight on a low-fat diet, one that cuts carbohydrates or a more balanced approach, maker Interleukin Genetics Inc reported on Wednesday.

The small study of about 140 overweight or obese women showed that those on diets "appropriate" for their genetic makeup lost more weight than those on less appropriate diets, researchers told an American Heart Association meeting.

"The potential of using genetic information to achieve this magnitude of weight loss without pharmaceutical intervention would be important in helping to solve the pervasive problem of excessive weight in our society," Christopher Gardner at Stanford University in California, who worked on the study, said in a statement.

Massachusetts-based Interleukin's test looks for mutations in three genes, known as FABP2, PPARG and ADRB2.

The company says that 39 percent of white Americans have the low-fat genotype, 45 percent have the type that responds best to a diet low in processed carbohydrates and 16 percent have the gene mutation that helps them lose weight best on a balanced diet.

The researchers had randomly assigned around 140 women to one of four diets — the low-carb Atkins diet, the ultra low-fat Ornish diet, the very low-fat LEARN diet or the more balanced Zone diet.

Interleukin went back and tested about 100 of the women for their DNA by using a cheek swab. They looked to see if the women on the "right" diets lost more weight.

"Individuals on genotype-appropriate diets lost 5.3 percent of body weight compared to individuals on diets not matched to their genotype, who experienced only 2.3 percent weight loss," the researchers wrote in a presentation prepared ahead of the conference.

"The weight loss differences were even stronger when considering the individuals who were trying to follow the lowest carbohydrate (Atkins) and the lowest fat (Ornish) diets: 6.8 percent weight loss for those whose genotype matched the diet they were following versus 1.4 percent for those not matched to their genotype."

Cholesterol levels improved in line with weight loss, they said.

"Out of hundreds of genes linked to obesity, three genes: fatty acid binding protein 2 (FABP2), peroxisome proliferators activated receptor gamma (PPARG), and beta 2 adrenergic receptor (ADRB2) were identified for their biological association with diet and weight loss," Stanford's Mindy Dopler Nelson said in a statement.

The company, which plans broader studies, markets the test under the brand name Inherent Health. It also can test who might best lose weight in response to exercise. Exercise? Exercise! Surely you jest! Little flowers do not DO exercise - it makes us do more than glisten!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35693184/ns/technology_and_science-science/

Blue you crack me up

BB

right there with you, BB