DNA diet could help you lose 33% more weight: Dieters given one of five eating plans based on results of a mouth swab test
- DNA diet sees those who want to lose weight eat food based on genes
- Dieters put on one of five eating plans based on a mouth swab test
- Experts claim obese patients lost 33 per cent more weight on plan
Those of the DNA diet lost 33 per cent more weight than those on standard plans (library image)
A DNA diet, in which you eat certain foods based on your genes, could help you to lose a third more weight than calorie counting, experts claim.
They put dieters on one of five eating plans based on the results of a mouth swab test.
Obese patients using these plans lost 33 per cent more weight than those on standard diets, they said.
Scientists behind the method claim our individual genetic make-up means that our bodies process fats and carbohydrates differently, so some of us put on more weight than others even when we eat the same foods.
But other experts are sceptical and say more research is needed. The DNA diet, which is available commercially, involves taking a swab test using a DIY kit and sending the results for analysis.
Dieters are assigned one of five plans, such as low carbohydrate, low fat and Mediterranean.
In a study of 191 obese people, those using this diet lost 33 per cent more weight than those counting calories, the European Human Genetics Conference in Milan was told.
Dr Nicola Pirastu and her team, from the University of Trieste in Italy, monitored 87 obese patients on the DNA diet for two years, as well as 104 who were on standard diets, in which they simply ate 600 fewer calories a day.
Their Body Mass Index, or BMI, was also recorded. BMI is a way of measuring weight that takes height into account. A healthy BMI is between 18 and 25.
Those on DNA diets saw their BMI go down by an average of 1.8 points, while the other group saw it decrease by 1.3 points. Patients on a DNA diet also gained more muscle, at an average of 6.1 per cent compared to 5.3 per cent.
Dr Pirastu said: ‘Although there were no significant differences in age, sex and BMI between the two groups at the beginning of the trial, we found people who followed the gene-based diet lost 33 per cent more weight than the controls over two years.’
Dr Keith Grimaldi of DNAFit, which makes the test, said: ‘The key is in what genes do. The idea that everyone could lose the same amount of weight on the same calorie-counting diet is wrong.’
Those behind the plan put dieters on one of five eating plans - such as low carbohydrate, low fat and Mediterranean - based on the results of a mouth swab test (library image)
A quarter of adults are obese and the condition and related health problems are estimated to cost the NHS £5.1billion a year.
The test, which dieters can take at home, costs £99 on the DNAFit website – but other experts say more evidence is needed before the diet can be called a success.
Mariette Abrahams, spokesman for the British Dietetic Association, said: ‘It seems very interesting but it’s not going to change clinical practice.
‘We need to see more evidence and we need to know the exact breakdown of the foods these individuals were eating.’
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