Could programs based on genes be the future of weight loss?

Genetic information may soon be used in weight-loss treatments according to a team of researchers, to offer programs tailor-made to individuals in an effort to combat rising rates of obesity.

Weight loss itself is often not the biggest challenge for individuals who are overweight, with keeping the weight off often proving to be more difficult.

To try and understand why, various groups came together including the National Cancer Institute, National Health Lung and Blood Institute, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research to form The Working Group, a team of researchers who have been studying how genetics can affect losing and regaining weight.

Led by Molly Bray, a geneticist and professor of nutritional sciences at The University of Texas at Austin, the summary has brought together what scientists already know about the genetic factors that influence weight loss, as well as reporting on other potential genetic factors, and how this research could help to develop new weight loss strategies in the future.

The Working Group have identified many possible genetic factors that may contribute to weight loss including:

– A genetic variant that means certain individuals are more likely to succeed in losing weight through diet and exercise, while others achieve better results with bariatric surgery.

– Certain genes that lead to a preference for and greater consumption of high-calorie foods, while genes linked to exercise can make it easier for some individuals to stick to an exercise plan than others.

– In some individuals weight loss treatments may not affect overall body weight/BMI, however they may cause other changes such as an increase in lean mass or a lower risk of diabetes and cancer, suggesting that other types of measurements may be more useful when understanding weight loss.

– Epigenetics, when the environment around us switches ‘on’ and ‘off’ certain genes causing them to become active or dormant, could also impact weight loss, as could our gut bacteria, which help balance metabolic function. Both have been shown to have lasting effects on weight.

Bray believes that current and further research into these genetic factors “could help bring us closer to providing personalized medicine for obesity”, with the possibility that genetic information collected from noninvasive, portable devices could be used in the future to help personalize weight loss treatments.

These future treatments could involve patients submitting saliva samples for gene sequencing, as well as collecting real-time information about a patient’s diet, activity and stress through wearable tech to put together specific, personalized recommendations.

“I think within five years, we’ll see people start to use a combination of genetic, behavioral and other sophisticated data to develop individualized weight management plans,” says Bray.

In addition Bray believes this information as well as leading to more effective treatments, could also be motivating for individuals trying to lose weight, which in turn could lead to more effective weight loss. “When people hear that genes may be playing a role in their weight loss success, they don’t say, ‘Oh great, I just won’t exercise any more,’” says Bray in a release from the University of Texas at Austin. “They actually say ‘Oh thank you. Finally someone acknowledges that it’s harder work for me than it is for others.’ And then I think they’re a little more forgiving of themselves, and they’re more motivated to make a change.”

The review will be published in the January issue of Obesity, the official journal of The Obesity Society. 

• Health
• Diet Weight Loss
• weight-loss
• National Cancer Institute