Nutrigenomics â a bit of a mouthful, no? Well, âa mouthfulâ is not too far off base. The term nutrigenomics is the study of the interaction between food and your genes. More specifically, it examines two different questions: 1) what are the biological effects of different foods, and 2) how do differences in an individualâs genetic make-up influence the impact food has on that individualâs health?
Still lost? Consider a study where sets of identical twins were put on the same very low calorie diet. Weight loss between identical twins was very similar because they share the same genetic make-up. However, there was a two-to-three-fold difference in weight loss among different sets of twins because of differences in genes.
Why did your neighbor lose 20 lbs on the Atkins diet, yet you didnât lose a pound despite adhering to the exact same diet? How come your brother can eat a package of Oreos without gaining a pound while your love handles seem to grow just by looking at them? The answer to each of these questions: genetics. You must reduce calories to lose weight, but current science tells us that the amount of weight one loses is strongly determined by genetics.
