DNA Testing for Weight Loss
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Bet you get weird when drinking alcohol though..............CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »deannalfisher wrote: »I didn't think any of the gene mapping done to date was at the level of specificity to identify food intolerances - but I'd have to do some research
I'm thinking that it probably just indicates generalities. For example, something like 75% of Native Americans are lactose intolerant. I'm guessing if the DNA indicated that the person had Native American ancestors, it would say that she may be lactose intolerant.
I have a percentage of native american blood,from 3 different tribes(not sure of percentages as I havent done DNA but my sister did trace our lineage), and Im not lactose intolerant.so that would throw the study off one would think.
I'm partially of Native American heritage also, and not lactose intolerant in the least. I consume dairy products on a daily basis with no problems.
Firewater!2 -
kristielove wrote: »For all, I never said my mind was made up. If that were the case I would have just ordered. I asked to get REAL feedback from REAL tester. I too am skeptical. I was actually considering getting a genetic study for heritage and health and happened to come across it.
Heritage is a legitimate pursuit and numerous markers have been identified. I actually find this fascinating as our entire concept of race is foolish as we all descend from a common ancestor. I submitted to Ancestry DNA - this is based upon actual evidence which can be repeated with a high degree of accuracy.
Health is also highly developed; however you need to do this through a medical facility. Even with this the data results are highly suspect and can only show that you have an increased risk to specific issues, not the issues themselves.
Here are the genes that these scam artists have "identified" (note that these are based upon pure demographic stats and show no correlation or causation to obesity or diet): ADRB2, ADRB3, PPARG, FABP2. This will give you a good head start checking out pubmed or similar lit sites. In reviewing the papers I want you to focus on the degree of error section - you will notice that many papers do not have one, which should cause one to disregard the paper.
Long and short this is a reboot of the Blood Type Diet - just rebranded with "DNA" in the title.10 -
kristielove wrote: »For all, I never said my mind was made up. If that were the case I would have just ordered. I asked to get REAL feedback from REAL tester. I too am skeptical. I was actually considering getting a genetic study for heritage and health and happened to come across it.
What about the REAL feedback from the person who worked for the company who does the REAL tests and said it is REALLY a scam?12 -
kristielove wrote: »@Tacklewasher actually it is what I wrote. What you or "Joe Schmoe" THINKS isn't insightful, it's strongly subjective. And bc "that's the way things go" doesn't mean that's the way it has to be... Something to ponder on, there was a a lot developed by NASA for astronauts (small percentage compared to us commoners) that we all use daily now. There is much one can learn and lots more to be learned by analyzing DNA
I'm done. You don't care to listen and I don't care to beat my head against a wall.
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This thread has been very interesting, I had heard about DNA testing for weight and loss wondered if it would be useful, well now I know it wont be.
We all know that DNA testing has already, and certainly will in the future, give us more information on health issues and genetics, it is exciting work, who knows what other things we will discover about DNA and how it affects us as human beings.
OP You have had REAL feedback from some very intelligent and patient people. Several who have had some kind of DNA testing done, one who actually worked for a company that offered that particular DNA test (scam) and another who has worked with DNA for 17 years.
Not to mention a very well informed and respected personal trainer who is always looking out for his fellow MFP members and several other very well informed MFP members.
So I think you have the answer to your question about DNA testing for weight loss. It wont help you lose weight. I don't understand why you are annoyed as this is the answer that could save you a lot of money and disappointment.10 -
There is so much disinformation out there regarding genetics and what research can and cannot do. People tend to think of genetics as some sort of updated version of astrology and that this somehow determines fate, but this is incorrect.
Think of DNA as a typewriter - it sets the parameters on what you are most able to do, but you write the story. You can push past the boundaries of these parameters...it simply depends on the amount of effort you want to put into it.1 -
Bet you get weird when drinking alcohol though..............CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »deannalfisher wrote: »I didn't think any of the gene mapping done to date was at the level of specificity to identify food intolerances - but I'd have to do some research
I'm thinking that it probably just indicates generalities. For example, something like 75% of Native Americans are lactose intolerant. I'm guessing if the DNA indicated that the person had Native American ancestors, it would say that she may be lactose intolerant.
I have a percentage of native american blood,from 3 different tribes(not sure of percentages as I havent done DNA but my sister did trace our lineage), and Im not lactose intolerant.so that would throw the study off one would think.
I'm partially of Native American heritage also, and not lactose intolerant in the least. I consume dairy products on a daily basis with no problems.
Firewater!
Right, and I have no Native American heritage, am LI, and yet I drink/eat plenty of dairy and have lost a lot of weight. The test wouldn't provide meaningful information to help with weight loss. (I'm assuming you all know I wasn't saying that the suggestion about somebody may be possibly being lactose intolerant was useful.)
If I were overweight and had $500 to spare, I'd set it aside to use on new clothes as I shrank out of them.3 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »deannalfisher wrote: »I didn't think any of the gene mapping done to date was at the level of specificity to identify food intolerances - but I'd have to do some research
I'm thinking that it probably just indicates generalities. For example, something like 75% of Native Americans are lactose intolerant. I'm guessing if the DNA indicated that the person had Native American ancestors, it would say that she may be lactose intolerant.
I have a percentage of native american blood,from 3 different tribes(not sure of percentages as I havent done DNA but my sister did trace our lineage), and Im not lactose intolerant.so that would throw the study off one would think.
I'm partially of Native American heritage also, and not lactose intolerant in the least. I consume dairy products on a daily basis with no problems.
Interesting. My mother-in-law was full blooded, and my hubby is slightly lactose intolerant. I wonder if it gets diluted enough after a certain percentage that it doesn't matter?
If you are only partially Native American, you could easily get the portion of the DNA that controls for lactose persistence from the other side. That's especially true if it's only a small percentage. (And of course if 75% of Native Americans are lactose intolerant, the other 25% are not.)
Random aside as long as we are talking about DNA (not referring to your family, of course)--the ethnic stuff is pretty fun, but a lot of it is still guess-work too. That's very much the case with the tests that say 50% German or Mediterranean or whatever. They really can't tell the difference between various European groups well, especially within the same general region and especially when (as with Americans of European ancestry) they are all mixed up. My dad shows up as 40% Scandinavian (more than my mom who is about a quarter Swedish but shows up as less). So far as we know (and I've done quite a bit of good research, so I am sure), my dad's family all goes back to the British Isles except for a small bit that goes to France. But is a genetic makeup that overlaps a lot with Scandinavia common in the British Isles? Of course.0 -
kristielove wrote: »For all, I never said my mind was made up. If that were the case I would have just ordered. I asked to get REAL feedback from REAL tester. I too am skeptical. I was actually considering getting a genetic study for heritage and health and happened to come across it.
Heritage is a legitimate pursuit and numerous markers have been identified. I actually find this fascinating as our entire concept of race is foolish as we all descend from a common ancestor. I submitted to Ancestry DNA - this is based upon actual evidence which can be repeated with a high degree of accuracy.
.
Even there they can be a bit vague. My brother had his DNA tested and the results were pretty much as expected. What was interesting is the 32% "North Western European" (everything else was specific: Irish, British, German, Scandinavian) Those dang Vandals, Saxons, Angles, Jutes, Visigoths and all the rest who kept wandering around Europe mixed up everything.
If you were looking for a specific health marker, it might be worth it but to tell you how you should be eating? Spend the $500 on a few sessions with a Registered Dietician.
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Yep, the Norman conquest, from Normandy, France was pretty much Norsemen (of Scandinavian ancestry)...0
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estherdragonbat wrote: »Yep, the Norman conquest, from Normandy, France was pretty much Norsemen (of Scandinavian ancestry)...
Our Scandinavian ancestry comes from a mercenary soldier who did so well for the Scottish Chieftain he hired out to in the 12th century that he was given lands in the border region. He was especially popular because he was a lefty and could guard the left flank of the Chieftain in battle. Supposedly left-handedness is a higher percentage among the descendants than the general population, especially among the males. My brother and his son are both lefties.1 -
It's your money and totally up to you what you choose to spend it on. But if it were me and i had 500 bucks to blow, i'd spend it on:
- A fitness tracker
- A bodpod test
- New gym shoes
- A huge recipe book full of healthy and nutritious meals
- A gym membership
- A food scale
- This is free- A lifetime membership at Myfitnesspal. If you want to get fancy, spring for premium.
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I really see things like this as majoring in the minors. So your DNA may or may not, at a not inconsiderable expense, be able to tell you something that may or may not assist you in a minor way with losing weight. One thing it won't do is suddenly, in a blinding light, give you all the answers and make the path straight and smooth.
As someone said above, it might be useful for the people already at the top of their game looking to bump it up that one more notch, but for someone who simply needs to lose weight, it's results are expensive and negligible.0 -
kristielove wrote: »It analyses your DNA to look at different traits ( I guess to see if you are predisposed to becoming obese) and sensitivities you might have to different foods. based off their analysis, they form a specific diet ( high protein, low carbs, or avoid sugars, or red meats, etc.) and it also tells you if cardio, weight trading, or whatever would be most optimal for you.
Run for your life! They just want your money.
There is no special diet you need to lose weight, as any diet will work if you eat at a calorie deficit and no will work if you don't.3 -
Smooth. I started looking into more biking myself then saw that if I got just even decent equipment, I could easily spend $1000.................and still would need a bike. And I'm pretty frugal. I spend $300 on a bike that was worth easily $500 and even at the $300, I choked a little. But I will say, it's been worth it so far.NorthCascades wrote: »
I have a friend who is now in the process of possible divorce because he chose to spend $2800 on some carbon fiber wheels for his bike, rather than use it to go on vacation with his wife and kids.NorthCascades wrote: »kristielove wrote: »From what I read, a lot of athletes and those who participate in the Olympics use it religiously.
That may be true, and that may not. (If you'd like to share what you've read, the rest of us can find out...)
Athletes competing in the Olympics are competing against other athletes. You and I are not. We're chatting in a weight loss thread.
People competing in triathlon spend $3,000 on bike wheels to reduce aerodynamic drag by very small amounts. Most people in this thread probably shouldn't do that, either. And for the same reasons, the people here are trying to lose some fat off their waste, not to lose 7 seconds on a 40 kilometer time trial.
You're right OP, to each his own.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
There's a saying, if you get a bunch of experienced runners together, they'll start talking about injuries, but if you get a bunch of experienced cyclists together, they'll start talking about expensive bike gear. In the bike and camera worlds, some common wisdom is that whenever you buy an expensive toy for yourself, you buy your wife some nice jewelry, and deliver them both at the same time.
I bought my carbon wheels from a shop in a small mountain town, then told Beth we need to go on vacation there when they were ready to pick up.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10281309/who-knows-about-bikes#latest
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Bet you get weird when drinking alcohol though..............CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »deannalfisher wrote: »I didn't think any of the gene mapping done to date was at the level of specificity to identify food intolerances - but I'd have to do some research
I'm thinking that it probably just indicates generalities. For example, something like 75% of Native Americans are lactose intolerant. I'm guessing if the DNA indicated that the person had Native American ancestors, it would say that she may be lactose intolerant.
I have a percentage of native american blood,from 3 different tribes(not sure of percentages as I havent done DNA but my sister did trace our lineage), and Im not lactose intolerant.so that would throw the study off one would think.
I'm partially of Native American heritage also, and not lactose intolerant in the least. I consume dairy products on a daily basis with no problems.
Firewater!
Right, and I have no Native American heritage, am LI, and yet I drink/eat plenty of dairy and have lost a lot of weight. The test wouldn't provide meaningful information to help with weight loss. (I'm assuming you all know I wasn't saying that the suggestion about somebody may be possibly being lactose intolerant was useful.)
If I were overweight and had $500 to spare, I'd set it aside to use on new clothes as I shrank out of them.
nah we were just saying0 -
I was looking at one test that has some genetic markers for lactose tolerance, but I think it's still early.deannalfisher wrote: »I didn't think any of the gene mapping done to date was at the level of specificity to identify food intolerances - but I'd have to do some research
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cmriverside wrote: »
My dad's is the first one I've heard of with no surprises. Well I think the surprise was that we expected it to be more diverse, because three of his grandparents were from Croatia. But it ended up being really close to what his grandparents were- down to the country for the noncroatian grandparent.1 -
To me, this is one of those scams that, because of the outrageous price alone, gives the illusion of credence to the claim. It sets up a mentality of "Oh, if they charge that much, it simple *has* to be legitimate!"
Sadly, people who can afford it (and a ton of those who can't!) get sucked into hoaxes like this one all the time.
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My mom had some DNA test done and it just made her more of a hypochondriac. You're better off spending that money on a food scale and a gym membership. Obesity runs in my family (I didn't need to spend $ a DNA test to confirm that; family photos are free), but my sister and have no problem losing weight by reducing portion sizes. Eat less calories than you burn and you will lose weight.4
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