Good way to lose weight: Genetic testing to stay away from obesity factors

Obesity is the public enemy! Many obese people in China have tried various weight loss methods but have failed to lose weight, or have lost a little weight but gained weight again, leaving the shadow of obesity hanging over their hearts and a nightmare that cannot be shaken off for a long time. Currently, a domestic biotechnology company has launched a new "weight management gene testing" technology. By simply testing DNA through oral mucosal cells, the cause of obesity can be found, allowing the body to be healthy and free of burden.

Through genetic testing, we can find out your personal obesity gene, then find out what type of obesity you have and develop an exercise plan for the specific part of your body.

Obesity is prone to cause chronic cardiovascular diseases

Internal medicine physician Su Shengfen pointed out that according to statistics, among adults or children in Taiwan, overweight and obese people account for 1/4 to 1/3 of the population, indicating that being overweight has become a problem worthy of attention in Taiwan. Currently, controlling dietary calories, eating less starch, avoiding fried foods, and exercising more are the only ways to successfully lose weight.

It has been clinically confirmed that insulin resistance caused by obesity can easily lead to a variety of metabolic abnormalities in the body, further causing hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes, fatty liver, etc. In addition, obesity is also a risk factor for many cancers. If your body mass index is over 25, you need to control your weight. If you have at least two of the above health problems at the same time, you need to lose weight.

Internal medicine physician Su Shengfen said that if you find out through genetic testing that you have a congenital obesity gene, then there is no reason not to exercise! (Photography by Huang Zhiwen)

Obesity physique first do genetic testing

Dr. Su Shengfen said that obesity gene is a general term for a series of genes related to obesity. Currently common obesity genes include PPARγ, ADRB2, ADRB3, GNB3, and UCP1. These five obesity genes are all related to fat metabolism. PPARγ affects the differentiation and enlargement of adipocytes; ADRB2 mainly affects fat decomposition and is related to systemic obesity. Obese people with this gene should reduce their carbohydrate intake; the ADRB3 gene mainly affects visceral fat accumulation, causing upper body obesity; and those with UCP1 gene mutations are related to lower body obesity and have a pear-shaped body.

In addition, the study also found that people with "starch type" obesity should definitely avoid starch and sugar, "lipid type" and "metabolic type" obesity should be careful with fat intake; "organ type" obesity easily accumulates fat in the internal organs, posing a threat to health; "stubborn type" obesity has the problem of extremely low basal metabolic rate. The latter two types of obesity require more exercise to enhance metabolism, otherwise it will be difficult to lose weight, and even if they lose weight by dieting, it is easy to gain weight again.

At the same time, hereditary obesity is usually caused by multiple genes. Although genetic analysis can be used to tailor a weight management package for an individual, the cause of obesity is not only due to genetic genes. Some people are born thin, but become fat due to overeating and high-fat diet in their lifestyle. Therefore, although genes can tell us "why you get fat" and "how to lose weight", good work and rest and eating habits cannot be neglected.

Genetic testing makes health management more efficient

Dr. Su Shengfen emphasized that genes are DNA genetic information stored on chromosomes. It is currently known that humans have 20,000 to 30,000 genes. Genetic testing can be used to discover biological genetic characteristics, making it a popular preventive examination. However, genetic testing is different from health checks. A person's health status will change with the environment and habits, so regular health checks are necessary to understand the current health status.

DNA is determined at birth, so DNA genetic testing has lifelong reference value. However, the occurrence of most diseases is usually not determined by a single gene. Therefore, the more related genes are tested, the more accurate the prediction ability will be.

It is worth noting that the acquired environment has a huge impact on genes. People with high-risk genes only need to control their diet, improve their living habits, and have regular health checks in their daily lives to stay away from pathogenic factors. For example, people with a high risk of obesity can reduce fat accumulation through acquired weight loss diet management, effectively lower the incidence of chronic diseases caused by obesity, and make personal health management and prevention more efficient.