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Losing Weight? Your Genes Don't Matter
ShareLosing Weight? Your Genes Don't Matter
A new US study has found that our genes play no role in weight loss. Instead, it’s what and how much we eat that determines our waistline.It’s long been thought that genetics lead to weight loss. But after in-depth gene analysis, a research team at Stanford University discovered healthy eating leads to the greatest weight loss.
Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study involved 609 adults who were overweight. The participants had genetic and insulin testing, and then followed either a low-fat or low-carb diet for 12 months.
While there were differences in how participants metabolised fats or carbs, weight loss was around 5-6 kilograms. And that was regardless of their genetics, insulin or diet.
And the people who lost the most weight? They chowed down on more veggies, and fewer ‘unhealthy’ fats, soft drinks, and processed foods.
"We eat to fill our stomach, and if that's with vegetables we tend to lose weight, whereas if it's with chocolate or French fries, flushed down with a soda, we gain weight," said Professor Lennert Veerman, from Griffith University School of Medicine.
Interestingly, the participants weren’t given a calorie-restricted diet, ort told which foods to eat. Instead, they were just told to eat high-quality food.
Both groups ended up eating around 500 fewer calories a day. The low-fat group also ate around 57 grams of fat during the study (compared to 87 grams before), and the low-carb group ate 132 grams (compared to 247 grams before).
An article in the Sydney Morning Herald quoted nutritionist Dr Rosemary Stanton, who commented on the study:
“Some previous studies that have damned carbohydrates have not taken note of the foods that supplied it. For example, lentils and lollies are both 'carbs' but one is a nutrient-dense high quality food while the other is junk. Simply calling them 'carbs' does not provide this vital distinction.”
Dr Veerman also noted, “Instead of 'going on a diet', it would be better to find new, healthier habits.”
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