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Individualized dietary recommendations based on genetic information are currently a popular trend. A team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has systematically analyzed scientific articles and reached the following conclusion: There is no clear evidence for the effect of genetic factors on the consumption of total calories, carbohydrates, and fat. According to the current state of knowledge, the expedience of gene-based dietary recommendations has yet to be proven.
Overweight and obesity have become a global health problem. According to the World Health Organization, 39 percent of adults in EU countries have overweight. In Germany more than 50 percent of adults suffer from overweight, almost one fifth is according to the Robert Koch Institute currently considered obese. This is primarily due to the modern lifestyle which is characterized by low physical activity and high-calorie foods.
Also genetic factors play a role in the occurrence of obesity. To date, around a hundred genes (loci) have been identified which are related to the body mass index (BMI). However, the functioning of these genes as well as the biological mechanisms behind them are still largely unknown. The investigation of the relationship between genetic factors and nutrition can shed light on whether the genes which are linked to BMI play a role in nutrition.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 24 2018, @04:35PM (2 children)
This is anecdote and not evidence, but speaking for myself... food in the US is weird.
Everywhere else in the world, "I'm hungry, I'll eat a meal, now I'm now full."
In the US, "I'm hungry, I eat a meal, now I'm still hungry." I'm not sure if it's the materials, or how it's cooked, or what, but food in the US just isn't that satiating. I personally think that that's part of the source of the obesity crisis in the US.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by HiThere on Tuesday July 24 2018, @06:31PM (1 child)
There may be something to that. When I successfully gave up smoking the second time (The first time was easy, so I thought the second would be too. HAH!) my first step was to switch to Shermans, an "organic cigarette". There's something they put, probably in the paper, of ordinary cigarettes that is a short period addictive, where ordinary tobacco is long period addictive. So with ordinary cigarettes I wanted another more quickly. Then with the Shermans I cut down slowly until finally I was taking three puffs on a cigarette before putting it out for next time. Then I quit.
The thing is that "short period addictive" thing is much like many of the flavoring in processed foods. Different spices act differently. I suspect that the "short period addictive" for food is some sort of soy sauce derivitive, as I've noticed that soy sauce itself has that kind of effect.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 25 2018, @03:34AM
It's called freebasing: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/freebase-nicotine-why-some-some-cigarettes-may-be-more-addictive-5353690.html [independent.co.uk]
The cig companies know what they're doing. They don't put hundreds of ingredients in there for nothing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_additives_in_cigarettes [wikipedia.org]
Maybe it's the same for many manufactured foods especially snack food. Some of them may know what they're doing even if the research results aren't always published: http://mentalfloss.com/article/531186/science-behind-why-we-crave-loud-and-crunchy-foods [mentalfloss.com]
https://www.npr.org/2012/06/02/154212561/why-do-humans-crave-crispy-food [npr.org]
Or it's "evolution" - the producers of less addictive foods have lower market share and "business fitness" than the producers of addictive food.