Dieting is hard. Some have hoped that genetically tailored diets may make weight loss efforts more effective. But, a small study of 51 obese and overweight adults suggests nutrigenetic-guided diets offer no advantages over standard, balanced diets. However, according to a study published in the September issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, genetic insights may identify individuals most likely to benefit from a traditional, balanced diet weight loss strategy. Previous genome-wide association studies have identified more than 30 loci associated with obesity, but data remains scarce as to how these genetic variations impact weight loss or metabolic profiles. Yet, there are commercially-available, direct-to-consumer tests making dietary recommendations. In the current study, participants were randomized to either a nutrigenetic-guided diet (balanced, low-carbohydrate, low-fat, or Mediterranean; n = 30) or a standard balanced diet (n = 21). The Pathway FIT test (Pathway Genomics) was used to make diet selection in the genotype-guided therapy (GT) group. The researchers found that at eight weeks and at 24 weeks there was no significant difference between the groups in the percentage of participants who lost 5 percent of their body weight (35.0 percent for GT versus 26.9 percent for the standard diet). Further, there were no […]