The Intricate Link Between Your DNA, Metabolism And Weight Loss
As a doctor specialising in personal genomics, I can cite numerous scientific reasons why this is not the case. To be truly convinced, you need to only look around and observe how people who consume the same foods and engage in similar activity levels often have vastly different weights.
Such pairs include young siblings, couples, and even colleagues who eat the same food from the same cafeteria and engage in similar types of exertion, yet have vastly different BMIs. I distinctly recall being on a long-haul flight and observing the flight attendants with varying weight profiles, despite all of them consuming the same in-flight food and performing identical tasks throughout the year.
Interestingly, its converse is often equally true, especially in the case of some siblings. Sisters and brothers may have different tastes and food intakes but share near-equal BMIs in the overweight or obese categories. However, in such cases, there is a tendency to quickly attribute it to a familial predisposition to obesity.
Yes, and that is true as well. Similar to your skin or eye colour, or your body height, the propensity to gain weight easily is also a genetic or hereditary trait. Until you acknowledge this scientific fact, your weight management journey cannot truly succeed.
But, unlike your eye colour or height, the tendency to gain weight easily is not something that cannot be overcome with biohacks, especially personalised lifestyle modifications. In fact, there is a fascinating branch of study called nutrigenomics that explore how your genes affect the metabolism of your foods and how your foods, in turn, affect your genes.
In weight loss regimens, genetic differences make all the difference - often between dismal failure and stunning success. Another connected aspect linked with successful weight management is your own metabolic traits, which also call for personalised approaches.
The key genetic and metabolic factors governing weight management involve the regulation of macronutrient metabolism, micronutrient deficiencies, and various food intolerances. Macronutrients, comprising carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and fibres, serve as the primary source of calories. Understanding how your related genes and metabolic factors metabolise and utilise these macronutrients is of paramount importance in effective weight management.
To cite just one example, the TCF7L2 gene has various variants that yield different results concerning protein intake for weight management. If you possess any of the beneficial variants of this gene, opting for whey protein supplements, such as meal replacement drinks, can give you head start in weight loss.
Regarding various food intolerances, many of them are governed by genetic or metabolic factors. One of the most infamous examples is lactose intolerance, caused by the deficiency of the enzyme lactase, affecting as much as 68% of the adult world population.
While primary, congenital, and developmental lactase deficiencies are mostly genetic in origin, the most prevalent form - secondary lactase deficiency - is primarily a metabolic disorder. A genetic test and a metabolic assessment can determine whether you have lactose intolerance, its type, and what can be done about it.
Those with serious lactose intolerance should take a different form of whey protein called whey protein isolate or whey protein hydrolysate (hydrolysed whey). They shouldn’t take whey protein concentrate alone - which is more common and economical - because, though whey protein doesn’t contain much lactose by definition, the concentrate form may have enough to trigger a lactose allergy.
There are over 40 such parameters, including diet, exercise, hormones, insulin sensitivity, weight regain, etc., that are influenced by around 50 genes and metabolic markers. DNA-based weight loss programs work on nutrigenomic principles by testing for these genes and markers. This allows for truly personalised lifestyle modifications, spanning diet, supplements, exercise, yoga, etc., to be prescribed for effective weight loss in almost anyone, even when other weight loss programs haven’t worked.
