A Scientific Perspective of Personalised Gene-Based Dietary Recommendations for Weight Management

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.

A Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies the Association between the 12q24 Locus and Black Tea Consumption in Japanese Populations

“…Recently, GWASs have demonstrated genetic variants associated with dietary habits in several populations, and the results of these studies could be utilized for personalized nutritional recommendations [ 34 ]. In a Japanese population, a previous GWAS indicated that the 12q24 locus was associated with several dietary habits and health outcomes [ 7 ].…”

Enhanced long-term dietary change and adherence in a nutrigenomics-guided lifestyle intervention compared to a population-based (GLB/DPP) lifestyle intervention for weight management: results from the NOW randomised controlled trial

“…A recent review reported that personalised nutrition recommendations are of great potential for optimising outcomes of weight management interventions, while also noting that research in this area is lacking and human intervention studies are needed. 6 The potential value of personalised nutrition for weight management stems from studies indicating positive consumer attitudes towards genetic-based dietary advice, 3 7 several indications that a one-size-fits all approach to weight management is not optimal, 6 and the potential for genetically guided, actionable nutrition recommendations to help motivate changes in dietary intake. 8 According to the most recent systematic review on genetic testing behaviour change research, nutrition was found to be the most promising lifestyle component that could be motivated as a result of undergoing genetic testing, especially when the genetic intervention provided actionable recommendations.…”

Associations between Genotype–Diet Interactions and Weight Loss—A Systematic Review

“…6 Adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, baseline body mass index. 7 Adjusted for age, sex, center, baseline weight. 8 No information about adjustment.…”