Plain language summary
Basic recommendations of eat less, move more can have varying levels of success in weight loss depending on the individual. As a result, the focus has begun to shift to personalised nutrition based on genetics, however evidence is lacking. This review paper aimed to evaluate what evidence was available. The authors stated that the literature has no set definition for personalised nutrition but did state that it should consider social, lifestyle, genetic and metabolic factors and the microbiome. 500 genes have been recognised as associated with body morphology and although the function of most of them is still unclear, the fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) gene has the strongest effect on body weight. Individuals can carry different versions of the FTO gene, and the research has been conflicting on whether weight loss is greater depending on which version an individual carries. The regulation of food intake and the amount of fat and protein consumed may also be affected by the FTO version. The use of dietary recommendations based on genetic tests that can be bought by the general public was also reviewed and it was concluded that this science is still in its infancy. The authors concluded that personalised nutrition based on genetics is complex and further studies are warranted.
Abstract
Various studies showed that a "one size fits all" dietary recommendation for weight management is questionable. For this reason, the focus increasingly falls on personalised nutrition. Although there is no precise and uniform definition of personalised nutrition, the inclusion of genetic variants for personalised dietary recommendations is more and more favoured, whereas scientific evidence for gene-based dietary recommendations is rather limited. The purpose of this article is to provide a science-based viewpoint on gene-based personalised nutrition and weight management. Most of the studies showed no clinical evidence for gene-based personalised nutrition. The Food4Me study, e.g., investigated four different groups of personalised dietary recommendations based on dietary guidelines, and physiological, clinical, or genetic parameters, and resulted in no difference in weight loss between the levels of personalisation. Furthermore, genetic direct-to-consumer (DTC) tests are widely spread by companies. Scientific organisations clearly point out that, to date, genetic DTC tests are without scientific evidence. To date, gene-based personalised nutrition is not yet applicable for the treatment of obesity. Nevertheless, personalised dietary recommendations on the genetic landscape of a person are an innovative and promising approach for the prevention and treatment of obesity. In the future, human intervention studies are necessary to prove the clinical evidence of gene-based dietary recommendations.
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