Nutrigenomic Diet > Keto. Trust the Research.
Updated: Aug 9, 2021
A recent study published by BMC Nutrition has once again put a genomic-based personalized diet up against a Ketogenic Diet to see which diet was more effective in weight loss and improvements to cardiometabolic parameters.
And once again, a genomics-based personalized diet has proven to be superior to a ketogenic diet. A nutrigenomic diet is truly the only way to achieve optimal health.
To read the full study, click here.
The study:
For this study, the researchers followed 114 overweight and obese participants from a weight loss clinic over the course of several years. The participants self-selected whether to follow either a ketogenic diet or a personalized low-glycemic-index nutrigenomic diet that used information from 28 different genes. 53 subjects, nearly evenly split between the sexes, followed the ketogenic diet. While 61 subjects, slightly more women than men, selected to follow the nutrigenomic diet. The study was performed in a 2-stage process.
The first stage was a 24-week dietary intervention, where participants followed the diet of their choice (keto or nutrigenomic). Regardless of diet, participants were restricted to around 1,600 calories per day. Both groups were also given a meal plan and nutritional advice from experts throughout the process. During the first 4 weeks, all participants following the keto diet remained in ketosis.
The second phase lasted 18 months after the initial 24-week trial. During this phase, participants continued to follow standard guidelines for their chosen diet. Both groups were recommended to follow population-based exercise guidelines, and were treated in an identical manner.
After the initial 2 phases of the study, researchers followed up with the participants several times throughout the next couple of years to gauge the permanency of the results.
The Results:
After the first 24 weeks of the study, the ketogenic diet group had lost more weight. The keto group lost an average of 26 pounds, while the nutrigenomic group lost an average of 24 pounds.
However, after the 18-month follow-up, the nutrigenomic participants had lost significantly more weight (27 pounds) than the ketogenic group (19 pounds). The nutrigenomic group was associated with an average 25% reduction in body mass. While the keto group was only associated with a 17% loss in body mass. Interestingly, many on the keto diet had regained some of the weight they initially lost. Further, nearly 25% of participants on the ketogenic diet had fallen out of ketosis, by eating too many carbs or protein.
After a 2 year follow-up, it was found that the nutrigenomic group continued to lose weight. Unfortunately, on average, the keto group participants had stopped losing weight and had begun to regain weight compared to the 24-week measurement. This is likely because, after the two-year follow-up, participants in the nutrigenomic group demonstrated higher adherence and consistency. Alternately, many in the ketogenic group had frequently deviated from their nutritional plan.
Moreover, in terms of improvements to cardiometabolic parameters, the nutrigenomic group performed better every time data was collected. The keto group failed to beat the great improvements of the nutrigenomic group on total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and fasting glucose levels. After the 18 month follow-up, all of the nutrigenomic participants had blood glucose levels under the pre-diabetes level of 100 mg/dl. Only 16 of 53 keto participants had levels below that level.
Conclusions:
This study is only one of many that prove the long-lasting benefits and superiority of the nutrigenomic diet when compared to other types of diets. The nutrigenomic diet has the long-standing power to allow for a slow, gradual progression of weight loss and overall health improvements.
Nutrigenomics is the only dietary plan that will precisely identify the patterns and imbalances of your unique metabolism and use nutrients to suppress the expression of disease, illness, and other unhealthy patterns. Nutrigenomics informs us which nutrients and foods will influence our genes toward health and protect our DNA from damage.
For example, we all know that inflammation can lead to chronic diseases but you may not know that there are many different genes that regulate specific inflammatory pathways. Knowing your DNA blueprint will allow us to target these pathways with specific foods that will reduce inflammation and decrease your risk of chronic disease.
Your genetics also determine how you respond to nutrients. This is why the “one size fits all” diet does not work. Your individual genetic make-up may predispose you to a particular disease process that may be prevented by personalized nutrition.
If you're interested in genomic testing, click here to learn more! Or contact our office at johnsoncenter.inquiry@gmail.com.
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