Does the double helix diet have a clue when it comes to weight loss?

You gave up the ladoos. Okay, that didn’t work. You went gluten free because your friend told you it worked for her. But did it work for you too? And so you tried being a vegetarian for a week, and then it was a juice detox program, and finally, you only ate salad for a week and you were so frustrated that you ate half of the thorns that you have kept aside for special occasions. No matter what you try; you can’t seem to lose any weight, but what you’re losing is your mind. You just need someone to tell you exactly what and how much to eat at the exact time of day. Is that difficult?

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As a nutrition coach, I hear this request all the time. However, most clients do not suffer from not knowing what a healthy diet is; the problem is that they don’t have the skills to stick around for very long. Old habits die hard, taste preferences rule, and sometimes, more often than not, it’s a complex dissection to understand their sleep cycles, stress levels, diet and exercise habits, and emotional regulation related to food choices.

The initial task always remains the same: to shine a light on all these different factors that contribute to weight gain and to achieve the critical habits that do not lead to your success. After all, if you don’t know what needs to change, how can you expect to make the right changes? Otherwise, every day is a minefield of guesswork and trial and error.

By critically analyzing our lifestyle knowledge, we gain valuable data on which to base our next steps, which will be the foundation for weight loss success. But for some people, it cannot be denied that despite doing everything right, they will not lose the weight, no matter how much they try. If we can lay a solid foundation and a client is still struggling with weight loss, we can address this by digging deeper into our analysis and seeing what critical information we can glean from various assessments or blood reports. Each layer of data we dig through brings us closer to discovering what magical combination of ingredients works best for each client’s weight loss.

Also read: Fasting for 14 hours improves mood, sleep, hunger

Straight into the DNA
But how “aware” can one get? How many layers can we peel back to understand how a person’s body works? Everyone’s body is different, but at what level are we trying to discover those crucial differences? If someone is tired of always looking for solutions that don’t work in the end, I can see how far down the rabbit hole they are willing to go to find answers, and of course that could be as deep as your DNA.

Since the beginning of the Human Genome Project, many studies and analysis companies have emerged, encouraging testing of our DNA, which can tell us how our bodies use the nutrients we ingest. DNA codes for proteins that change how we digest, absorb, metabolize and excrete food and nutrients. According to a study published in 2007, entitled “Nutrigenomics: The Genome-Food Interface,” nutrigenomics (the intersection of the study of DNA and nutrition) is concerned with the influence of dietary components on the genome, meaning that food contains micronutrients, macronutrients that we eat , phytonutrients and chemicals that play a role in our body’s processes and, in some cases, interact with our genetics positively or negatively. It gives new meaning to the expression: you are what you eat. By understanding this information, they can extrapolate a diet plan that maximizes the benefit of eating certain macronutrients while minimizing intake of others to help them lose weight.

Therefore, analyzing our DNA structure is like searching for clues. Instead of presenting this to you as a confusing set of data points, some DNA diet companies have shown up to 100 ways your genes can influence how food is used in your body and offer diet recommendations. food, recipes, and grocery lists available to their customers. eat in a way that, at least according to your DNA, suits you best. They can even tell you what foods agree with your unique body, such as lactose or gluten.

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The science has yet to catch up
It’s an exciting area of ​​research, and one that many people would like to explore, even just out of curiosity. Six years ago, the cost of this type of testing would have been prohibitive for most people; however, due to its increasing popularity and prevalence of technology, prices have decreased enough to make it an enjoyable, self-scientific experiment. However, is the science there to back up its claims?

In an alarming article published by Scientific American, with the self-explanatory title, “Matching DNA to diet doesn’t work,” one thing was clear: the science isn’t there yet. The studies where DNA diets had a demonstrable effect on weight loss could not be replicated, which is one of the hallmarks of scientific discovery. If one study can create a demonstrable difference in body weight after using DNA personal diets, other studies need to be done to verify that the results were not a rare unicorn in the scientific community.

In this article, the same Stanford researcher who completed an initial study in 2010 and saw results said: “But let’s cut to the chase: We didn’t replicate that study; we didn’t even come close. This didn’t work.” ​​​​The researchers found that some study participants had become cautious and almost fanatical about their new diet, driving the results away from the majority of participants who became apathetic and lacked consistency in their eating habits. during the study. A few fanatics may have influenced the result. And this is no different than any other diet that exists so far – whether it’s Atkins or Keto, Intermittent Fasting, or Mediterranean, there will always be a few who strongly embrace it. In contrast, others start with gusto and then taper off their involvement.

Besides, you’d think that analyzing our DNA would provide all the information we need to refine our diets; however, that is not yet the case. Habit, a leading DNA diet company, said that “DNA alone is not enough to develop personalized diet recommendations” and that the company therefore values ​​blood biomarkers and other information to understand a person’s diet plan.

It’s just knowing your DNA sequence. Knowledge will only help if you are given the skills and resources needed to make the changes in a long-term lifestyle change effort. It’s like saying that just because the microbes in our gut thrive on fiber-dense food for fuel, that doesn’t mean we like eating broccoli. And just because we know what our DNA tells us, doesn’t mean we have the skills to retreat from the box of cakes at 3am when we’re feeling tired and lonely.

It also tells us that DNA and food intake are not the whole story, and that there are other ways to use our epigenetics, such as exercise, to switch on certain positive gene expressions. Just because the science isn’t quite there right now doesn’t mean we can’t still explore our DNA to find valuable connections and information that help unlock our human potential, but until then, it’s not there yet just a piece of pie.

Jen Thomas is a master women’s health coach.

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