Dieting helps with genetic risks of obesity: A new study on dieting

You can actually be genetically prone to obesity - your genes can make it harder for you to feel full, and they can make your hunger worse.

Meanwhile, a new study shows that some food restrictions can actually help people to keep their weight healthy and avoid obesity.

Let's find out more about it.

A promising study

In recent research carried out jointly by the University of Exeter and the University of Bristol, it has been revealed that genes related to obesity may lead people to experience increased hunger and difficulties controlling their eating habits.

However, the study also unveiled a potential solution to this issue: practicing dietary restraint. 

This research, funded by the Medical Research Council Doctoral Training Partnership and published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, sought to understand the influence of genetics on body weight and eating behaviors.

The study involved 3,780 adults across a wide age range, from 22 to 92 years old, all from the UK. 

These participants provided DNA samples to assess their genetic susceptibility to obesity and completed detailed questionnaires about their eating habits.

The findings indicated that individuals with a higher genetic predisposition to obesity might be able to mitigate the effects of increased hunger and difficulties controlling their eating by employing dietary restraint.

Specifically, this dietary restraint could reduce these effects by up to half, offering a potential strategy to combat obesity.

Why it's useful

The findings suggest that interventions aimed at promoting dietary restraint, such as changing the food environment or using apps like the Food Trainer app developed by the research team, could be beneficial in addressing obesity, especially in individuals with a higher genetic risk.
 

• Related news:
• research
• obesity
• genetics
• food
• dieting
• 24 September 2023

---