Personalized dieting?? Maybe we really are all special snowflakes ;)

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missblondi2u
missblondi2u Posts: 851 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I read this article today (http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/10/future-of-dieting-is-personalized-algorithms.html) that posits some interesting ideas about how different people react to different foods. I don't think I'm buying it yet, but I'd be interested to see what others think about "personalized dieting."

Thoughts?
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Replies

  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
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    The link is broken and I couldn't find the article with a quick scan of the website.
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
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    Interesting stuff. The problem with paying what I imagine would be a hefty price for an individualized diet plan based on your stool sample is that your gut bacteria can change, based on diet among other things. But I have to say that I am fascinated by this stuff. One of my daughter's classes last year was on gut bacteria and I'm tempted to take it myself.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    I think there's a possibility that this study has some merit, but I think the effect on dieting and body composition that "personalization" can have is minimal, and the big picture is still ruled by the important factors like calorie balance, and macronutrient intake.
  • 100df
    100df Posts: 668 Member
    edited October 2015
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    Some cancer treatments are given based on the individual and type of tumor. Very personalized. Seems reasonable that nutrition and diet would work differently depending on the individual.
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
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    AJ_G wrote: »
    I think there's a possibility that this study has some merit, but I think the effect on dieting and body composition that "personalization" can have is minimal, and the big picture is still ruled by the important factors like calorie balance, and macronutrient intake.

    +1 I'm interested in seeing how this turns out, but I have the same suspicion about the impact of such personalization. I could see having such personalization play a greater role in supplementing medical treatments for specific conditions than in day to day nutrition.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    Different people have different needs and desires, so OF COURSE everyone needs their own plan.

    I have this theory that some people need more or less of certain macros than others. It could just be wishful thinking on my part, but I wonder about it. Will they find, one day, that some people don't need quite as much protein as others? I lean toward Yes, lol.

    As time goes on, they're going to learn new stuff and whatever it is will be interesting. :)
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
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    It makes sense. We already know different people react differently to various foods. People have various degrees of lactose intolerance, gluten sensitivity, various food allergies, etc. This is a little different, but in that same vein. I do think it is very possible that different people might do better on one diet vs another. Whether these gut bacteria differences that they are focusing on are due to racial or ethnic variations, or just random genetic differences, I find it very interesting.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    I'm a special snowflake. We all are. Some "rules" apply to all of us, but we all live our own lives in our own unique bodies. We all need to do what feels right, and best for us at any given time in our lives.
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
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    It's majoring in the minors. May have some small effect, but most people struggling with weight loss are just eating too much. No point in tweaking until you've got the big stuff right.
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
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    SingRunTing wrote: »
    It's majoring in the minors. May have some small effect, but most people struggling with weight loss are just eating too much. No point in tweaking until you've got the big stuff right.

    Agreed.
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
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    SingRunTing wrote: »
    It's majoring in the minors. May have some small effect, but most people struggling with weight loss are just eating too much. No point in tweaking until you've got the big stuff right.

    You're missing a big part of the point...It's not just about obesity...that's just one area of interest...it's about health in general. How a food impacts you doesn't just influence your weight, it could influence whether you develop diabetes or heart disease or many other diseases. That's hardly majoring in the minors.
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
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    MoiAussi93 wrote: »
    SingRunTing wrote: »
    It's majoring in the minors. May have some small effect, but most people struggling with weight loss are just eating too much. No point in tweaking until you've got the big stuff right.

    You're missing a big part of the point...It's not just about obesity...that's just one area of interest...it's about health in general. How a food impacts you doesn't just influence your weight, it could influence whether you develop diabetes or heart disease or many other diseases. That's hardly majoring in the minors.

    That bolded bit is a pretty huge leap.
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
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    tincanonastring wrote: »
    MoiAussi93 wrote: »
    SingRunTing wrote: »
    It's majoring in the minors. May have some small effect, but most people struggling with weight loss are just eating too much. No point in tweaking until you've got the big stuff right.

    You're missing a big part of the point...It's not just about obesity...that's just one area of interest...it's about health in general. How a food impacts you doesn't just influence your weight, it could influence whether you develop diabetes or heart disease or many other diseases. That's hardly majoring in the minors.

    That bolded bit is a pretty huge leap.

    No, it's not actually a leap at all. Blood sugar levels have been linked to these diseases. And what they are studying is whether certain foods impact blood sugar levels to a greater extent in some people than in others. The results so far indicate that they do...of course, more research is needed.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    edited October 2015
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    It seems more about health to me too. For some people, me included, when I am unhealthy I gain weight, partially because food is increased in a vain effort to improve energy and wellness. If I have a diet that improves my health, it will affect my weight too.

    Sort of like how obesity is a cause of health problems in some people, but a symptom of a health problem in another.

    I'm on board with the special snowflake theory. My diet is not ideal for others. That makes sense since their health needs are different than mine.
    shell1005 wrote: »
    MoiAussi93 wrote: »
    tincanonastring wrote: »
    MoiAussi93 wrote: »
    SingRunTing wrote: »
    It's majoring in the minors. May have some small effect, but most people struggling with weight loss are just eating too much. No point in tweaking until you've got the big stuff right.

    You're missing a big part of the point...It's not just about obesity...that's just one area of interest...it's about health in general. How a food impacts you doesn't just influence your weight, it could influence whether you develop diabetes or heart disease or many other diseases. That's hardly majoring in the minors.

    That bolded bit is a pretty huge leap.

    No, it's not actually a leap at all. Blood sugar levels have been linked to these diseases. And what they are studying is whether certain foods impact blood sugar levels to a greater extent in some people than in others. The results so far indicate that they do...of course, more research is needed.

    Meh. My doctor says otherwise, so I'll follow her lead. I have diabetes both T1 and T2 in my family. The best way that is managed is by managing my weight. I am at a lesser risk of diabetes and heart disease because I am at a healthy weight and am active/fit on a daily basis.

    Obesity isn't just one area of interest, it is the core.

    I don't support the bolded for all people. My celiac disease, ITP, and hashimoto's had nothing to do with my weight. I don't think my prediabetes did either since I was only about 10lbs above a normal BMI when it was identified.

    It may be true for some but not all.
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
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    shell1005 wrote: »
    MoiAussi93 wrote: »
    tincanonastring wrote: »
    MoiAussi93 wrote: »
    SingRunTing wrote: »
    It's majoring in the minors. May have some small effect, but most people struggling with weight loss are just eating too much. No point in tweaking until you've got the big stuff right.

    You're missing a big part of the point...It's not just about obesity...that's just one area of interest...it's about health in general. How a food impacts you doesn't just influence your weight, it could influence whether you develop diabetes or heart disease or many other diseases. That's hardly majoring in the minors.

    That bolded bit is a pretty huge leap.

    No, it's not actually a leap at all. Blood sugar levels have been linked to these diseases. And what they are studying is whether certain foods impact blood sugar levels to a greater extent in some people than in others. The results so far indicate that they do...of course, more research is needed.

    Meh. My doctor says otherwise, so I'll follow her lead. I have diabetes both T1 and T2 in my family. The best way that is managed is by managing my weight. I am at a lesser risk of diabetes and heart disease because I am at a healthy weight and am active/fit on a daily basis.

    Obesity isn't just one area of interest, it is the core.

    Meh. My doctor disagrees with yours, so I'll follow her lead. I also have diabetes in my family, and my doctor believes there is more to it than simply weight. Diet matters.
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
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    nvmomketo wrote: »
    It seems more about health to me too. For some people, me included, when I am unhealthy I gain weight, partially because food is increased in a vain effort to improve energy and wellness. If I have a diet that improves my health, it will affect my weight too.

    Sort of like how obesity is a cause of health problems in some people, but a symptom of a health problem in another.

    I'm on board with the special snowflake theory. My diet is not ideal for others. That makes sense since their health needs are different than mine.

    I agree...the idea that different people might do better with different diets makes a lot of sense to me.
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
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    I kind of take issue with the "obesity is a symptom of a health problem." Obesity is a symptom of eating more calories than you burn for an extended time period. Health problems can affect how much your body burns, but you still wouldn't become obese without the excess calories.

    Moi - I think it's a leap because we know obesity plays a large role in those health issues yet we don't know a) the extent to which blood sugar plays a role in causing diabetes and heart disease (although I'm open to reading up on it you have material to the contrary), b) whether there even are significant differences in our individual metabolic processes related to blood sugar, and c) if those differences do exist, whether they are great enough to cause a change in the probability of a person coming down with those diseases.

    It's all speculation at this point when it comes to "special snowflake hypothesis*" whereas we know that controlling weight will lower a person's likelihood of diabetes and heart problems.

    *I'm not actually calling anyone a special snowflake; I'm just using the term for convenience.

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