SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Right now in America, more than %60 of the population is trying to lose weight. For many of them, it's not a winning battle, which can be down right discouraging. New research is showing it may not have to do with your activity level, or a lack of trying, but rather your genetics.
Over the past few months, Stephanie Clemens has lost 64 pounds and she loves it.
"It’s like I don't even remember what those 64 pounds felt like. I'll sometimes pick up a 64 pound weight at the gym and I’m like oh my gosh, how did I carry this around," she said.
But it's taken Clemens a while to get here. When she began gaining weight a few years ago, it not only impacted her physically, it affected her mentally.
"You know it was hard because I think every girl has the perception you need to be thin, you need to be smaller," Clemens said.
So she tried several diets, including the popular HCG diet, where you eat less while injecting hormones into your body. It worked for awhile.
"But when you're eating less than 500 calories a day for 30 days it's easy to drop weight," Clemens said.
When Clemens began eating normally again all the weight came back, and then some. So now she's on a Weight Watchers plan, and she works out a few times a week. It's been a huge success for her.
Doctor Wayne Askew from University of Utah College of Health says he's heard stories just like Stephanie’s over and over again.
"Not all people respond the same to a diet, some people may be very discouraged on a diet that a friend did and think there's something they did wrong and maybe it's just their genetics," Askew said.
It's an interesting new way of thinking when it comes to a person's weight; that DNA could be the culprit behind uncontrollable weight gain.
"The genes control the enzymes and the enzymes control the metabolism. So if you do not produce enough enzymes that metabolize fat efficiently then you should avoid a high fat diet," Askew said.
The same goes for carbohydrates or sugars. If your body doesn't process them properly, it can turn into fat on your body. This type of testing is a brand new field called Nutrigenomics. It breaks down your genes and can prescribe a unique diet and exercise program just for you. If you, like many others, are missing certain enzymes, some foods will do you no good.
The problem with Nutrigenomics right now, it's hard to find and can be expensive. But Dr. Askew believes for about 40% of the population who can't lose weight, this will end up being an amazing option.
Clemens says she can see how it could work.
"For people that need a little more guidance and direction, that's probably the perfect diet," she said.
But Stephanie has already found a plan that works with her DNA, and she's sticking with it.
It may not be as precise as a blood draw or mouth swab, but dieticians say there are body factors and family history clues that can lead you to the right diet for your DNA.
If you have low energy or heart disease in your family, you should try a low fat diet.
If you carry weight around your midsection or if you have high blood pressure, a low carb diet might be right for you.
Finally, if you have a family history of diabetes, a Mediterranean background or stomach issues, a balanced diet may be your best bet.
