Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
LOS ANGELES — Genes determine how your body will react to a new diet and if you choose poorly, what you eat could lead to premature aging, according to a recent study.
Bodies can adapt to new diets with the help of a collection of genes, according to a study conducted by scientists at the University of Southern California. However, if someone is missing those genes, even small changes in diet can lead to premature aging and death.
“These studies have revealed that single gene mutations can alter the ability of an organism to utilize a specific diet," said scientist Sean Curran in a statement. "In humans, small differences in a person’s genetic makeup that change how well these genes function could explain why certain diets work for some but not others."
The findings suggest some people may be genetically predisposed to respond well to different types of popular diets, like the Paleo Diet or Atkins, while other people will see little success.
Related Story
Teacher slims down on McDonald's diet in 3 months
With the help of his students, a science teacher in Iowa managed to lose 37 pounds on a diet consisting solely of meals from McDonald's.The researchers hope genetic sequencing will allow people to find out which diet will work best for them by taking a simple blood test in the near future. Curran said personalized diet plans could be made based on genetic results, so people don't have to discover what works for them by trial and error.
“We hope to uncover ways to enhance the use of any dietary program and perhaps even figure out ways of overriding the system(s) that prevent the use of one diet in certain individuals,” he said.
Researchers found a gene called alh-6 that influenced aging based on the diet. They conducted the study using a species of worms that is supposed to have genes similar to humans.
“This gene is remarkably well-conserved from single celled yeast all the way up to mammals, which suggests that what we have learned in the worm could translate to a better understanding of the factors that alter diet success in humans,” Curran said.
The study was published in the Cell Metabolism.
