23andMe is kicking off a massive study into the genetics of weight loss that the company says will involve 100,000 people crowdsourced from its database of 1.3 million of its customers. It’s perhaps the most ambitious undertaking today date to discern the link between people’s DNA and their success at dieting.
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[I]t’s unlikely that finding the perfect diet will be as easy as forking over $199 and spitting in a test tube—at least not any time soon.“There have been a lot of claims floating around linking genetics to weight and your perfect diet,” Liana Del Gobbo, 23andMe’s lead scientist on the study, told Gizmodo. “That science is still in its infancy.”
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23andMe will randomly assign people to one of three plans. In some cases, participants will be asked to avoid carbs like bread. Another group will try eating more fiber and less animal fat. A third will eat as they usually do but exercise more. Other factors besides genetics, of course, also influence diet success, so participants will report back on things like their levels of stress and whether they had “cravings,” along with whether or not they lost any weight.
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You may one day be able to spit in a tube and get a customized weight-loss plan, but it’s not yet possible—so be wary of any company peddling genetically tailored diet advice.
Read full, original post: 23andMe Wants to Tell You How to Lose Weight
