The Nutritional Institute

Have you noticed that we are all different? It seems a silly question because you just have to look around to notice that: some of us are tall, some short, some fat and some thin. With exteriors that are all so different, is it likely that our internal physiology, including the way we respond to food, is all the same? The answer on the tip of each of your tongue’s should be “no”.

You can give the same dietary suggestions to ten different people and gain ten different results. Consider the current low-carb Banting craze or the Atkins diet which preceded it by 15 years; why do some people have amazing results, whilst others simply felt lack-luster for the period that they are on the diet? The same can be said for a vegetarian or vegan approach, the polar opposite to the Banting or Atkins – some people will thrive, while others will dwindle. Take a look at the two gentlemen in the photo above - you’d be right in thinking that they are slightly different in stature and size, but you know what - I think I’ll place a sneaky wager that they actually both eat the same diet - the Standard South African Diet, or SSAD for short…. Both men are extremely unhealthy, but just in different ways.

One size does not fit all
Try walking into a book store with a large nutrition section and you will find a plethora of possibilities. Most nutritional books are completely imbalanced in their approach because they are aiming for a short-term weight-loss fix, which is never successful in the long-term. This imbalanced approach is actually fuelled by the publishers themselves, who are looking for new trendy food crazes that sell out fast. As an example, we submitted our book proposal for Wholesome Nutrition to five different South African publishers two years ago - only two came back to us and out of those, one eventually rejected our proposal because the concepts weren’t revolutionary enough! Thankfully for us, Penguin took a longer-term view and they're still supporting us with our educational efforts in South Africa.

More about genes
Where we fall on the continuum of health depends on the combination of our genes and the way that we lead our lives. As Dr Daniel Meyersfeld*, owner of DNAlysis Biotechnology in Johannesburg, will tell you; “our genes load the (health) gun and lifestyle pulls the trigger.” There are huge variations in how individuals respond to dietary and exercise interventions in terms of adjustments to body weight. A lot of research has been done on identical twins who have been brought up in different environments and it is understood by science that 40 to 80 per cent of the variance in body weight may be due to genetic factors. According to Dr Yael Joffe**, owner of the Centre for Translational Genomics in Cape Town, if we simply treat individuals with generic nutrition, exercise and lifestyle advice, we are missing half of our treatment potential: genetics is the missing link. 

Joffe outlines four levels of obesity genetics:

• - Genetic obesity – the individual is quite resistant to any form of intervention (eg. cushings syndrome). This scenario is fortunately quite rare.
  - Strong predisposition to obesity – overweight in a non-obese environment and obese in an obese environment.
  - Slight predisposition to obesity – normal weight in a non-obese environment and over-weight in an obese environment.
  - Genetically resistant – even in an obese environment, they remain a normal weight.

To-date, science has studied genes involved in the regulation of energy expenditure, appetite signalling, lipid metabolism, thermogenesis and cell differentiation. Certain genetic variations can determine how much fat an individual is likely to absorb from his/her diet, how sensitive their body is to dietary fat or sugars and how much difference an exercise programme might make to a weight loss programme.

Food choices do matter
Instead of our genes being hard-wired signals in our body (as previously thought), our genes are actually expressed differently by differing stimuli – this is known as gene-nutrient or gene-environment interactions. So, even though I’ve just told you how important your genes are with regards to weight management (plus many other aspects of health), it is not a case of simply accepting your fate. Knowing your genes is only useful if you can do something about it, so the real strength of genetic testing lies in the intervention then taken. For example; do you increase or decrease your dietary carbs, fats or proteins, do you increase fibre in your diet for purposes of satiation, do you work on the balance of your brain chemicals to reduce your reward seeking behaviour, and do you focus more on endurance or strength/power exercise training to attain the maximum bang for your buck?

Much more will be revealed during our in-depth discussion of individually and genetics in week 1 of 12 Steps to Wholesome Nutrition. BOOK NOW.

*Dr Daniel Meyersfeld, owner of DNAlysis Biotechnology, will give an insightful talk on modern genetic science and how it pertains towards human health in week 1 of 12 Steps to Wholesome Nutrition (Wed 1st Feb).

**Dr Yael Joffe, owner of the Centre for Translational Genomics, will have you excited and stimulated about nutrigenomics and what it means to your health in her accompanying webinar for week 1 of 12 Steps to Wholesome Nutrition (Wed 1st Feb).

For my original article on the Individuality of Weight Management, click here.