RAF333 STY64 PREV092
Nutrigenomics
We’re on #64 of our Shattering the Yoyo series, looking back at episode 92, which came out November 2nd of 2018, a year in which I dramatically improved my health. I’m trying to learn from what I did that year in hopes that I can avoid the yo-yo diet syndrome in the present day.
That year, my uncle turned 80, and the last time I checked, he was still going strong. He turned 85 this year, and I think the secret to his long life may lie in his lifelong habit of living an active lifestyle.
I seem pretty skeptical of the DNA-determined diet, as I reviewed Nutrisystem’s DNA Body Blueprint kit. I have a lot more information now. There are several companies offering similar services, including:
DNAfit
Genopalate
Holistic Heal
Cura Integrative Medicine
Nutrigenomix
GX Sciences, Inc.
The Gene Box
There’s even a name for this area of scientific practice. It’s called nutrigenomics. An article on Today.com says that “nutrigenomics focuses on the relationship between genes, nutrition and health. It seeks to explain how our bodies respond to what we eat and drink — and how we can use that knowledge to promote activity in our ‘good’ genes and suppress it in ‘bad’ genes.”
As usual, there are studies supporting the idea that nutrigenomics is useful, but the information I have seen indicates that they focus on subjects’ ability to take on healthier behaviors if they know their genetic dietary makeup. It seems to me that being in a study like that would in itself help people to change their behavior for the better. But I am not a nutrigeneticist, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
I wouldn’t fault anyone for getting information based on their genetic makeup. It certainly can’t hurt to have more knowledge. And there seem to be a number of sources one could use and compare their data, which is what I would do.
But the bottom line is that I didn’t go through this process when I published the episode, so it certainly wasn’t instrumental in the success I was able to achieve. This is an interesting topic, though, and I think information will continue to come out as to how useful DNA testing can be in improving one’s diet.
References:
https://www.dnaweekly.com/reviews/nutrisystem/
https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/nutrigenomics-testing-market/companies
https://www.today.com/health/do-personalized-diets-work-t183387
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