Heart Health

Look around the bookshops and read some of the reviews for the latest books on weight loss and there’s a new buzzword on offer. It seems the genes you inherit from your parents change the way your body absorbs fat and carbohydrates. Gone are the days when a one-size-fits-all diet would sell like the proverbial hot cakes (unsweetened, of course). Now we are into the idea of personalized diets with DNA kits and gene testing offered as the way of designing the most effective way for you to lose those unwanted pounds. Except, there’s no science to support any of these claims. Myths help separate you from your money. The truth remains boring and does not sell many books.

Let’s start with the facts. The science of genetics has been around for centuries. Farmers, sports fans and governments have been selectively breeding animals (and plants) for their taste, speed or… Read More…

As people have become more aware of genetics, a number of myths have been born. The most common is that the genes you inherit from your parents fix your body type and, no matter what you do, you cannot change it. This makes genetics a very convenient excuse when people are looking to explain why their latest diet is a failure. The reality is rather different. Genetics is science looking at the process that enables each new generation to inherit characteristics from the parental generation. People are deceived into believing that this science is very precise when researchers announce they have identified a particular gene responsible for an inherited disease. Science fiction stories have popularized the idea that parents will soon be able to order designer babies. Now the authors who are looking to sell their latest diet books have begun to push the idea that one size does not… Read More…