| Posted 19 July 2022 Dnanalysis continues to claim efficacy for the genetic testing and diet/weight-loss efficacy. On the website, they claim “DNA Diet® is a genetic test designed to guide the personalisation of diet and lifestyle recommendations in order to manage weight. It provides insight into which diet type (low carbohydrate, low fat, or Mediterranean diet) would be most suitable for you according to your unique genetic makeup.” Yet years after starting with these claims, the evidence to back up claims that a DNA test can assist with weight-loss or weigh management remains very thin. Read the original article at The Conversation Here is the most recent article rebutting these claims: But, as people got older, we also noticed differences in their weight that couldn’t be explained by genetics or social background. This meant that neither of those factors is a good predictor of any particular person’s body weight. Our … Read the rest Posted 12 July 2021 Similar to the South African company, DNA Analysis, who claims that they are able to create a diet based on your DNA, this UK company made similar claims. The UK ASA found insufficient evidence to support their claims. ASA Ruling on DNAfit Life Sciences Ltd t/a DNAfitA paid-for ad on Instagram for DNAfit, seen on 29 September 2019, featured an animated double helix and captions that stated “We’re DNA. We know all about your body. Fast twitch muscle fibres give you power. Slow give you endurance. And that’s not all we can tell you. Order your kit now at DNAfit.com”. A caption under the animation stated “Unlock the secret to your ideal diet, vitamin need and exercise response”. IssueThe complainant, who believed DNA testing could not be used to determine an individual’s diet, vitamin and exercise needs, challenged … Read the rest Posted 30 July 2018 Nutritional genomics would mean the end of dietary guesswork, but science hasn’t quite caught up to the hype Markham Heid The Medium Which diet is best for weight loss: low carb or low fat? It seems like a straightforward question — one that a single well-designed study should be able to answer. But after nearly 20 years of such studies, the debate rages on. Taken together and applied to big groups, existing research suggests the two diets are about equally effective. But at an individual level, the effectiveness of these plans varies dramatically; some people lose 50 pounds or more, while others on the same diet end up gaining weight. If only dietitians and doctors could predict how a patient would respond to a specific diet — in terms of weight loss, but also longevity, disease risk, and other health outcomes — it would … Read the rest Posted 22 February 2018 On February the 8th we published the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in which they stated “the use of nutrigenetic testing to provide dietary advice is not ready for routine dietetics practice”. We commented: As far back as 2011, we pointed out that the evidence in support to the DNA diet, marketed, promoted and sold by Dr. Daniel Meyersfeld, Yael Joffe, (DNAnalysis) was inadequate, i.e., there is no proof that their diet would benefit or work. A study has just been published in which a low-fat diet was compared with a low-carb diet. The researchers assessed whether DNA diets were able to predict a beneficial diet. People in both groups did lose weight over the course of a year: an average of 11.7 pounds for the low-fat group, and 13.2 for the low-carb set. But the difference between how … Read the rest Posted 8 February 2018 As far back as 2011, we pointed out that the evidence in support to the DNA diet, marketed, promoted and sold by Dr. Daniel Meyersfeld, Yael Joffe, (DNAnalysis) was inadequate, i.e., there is no proof that their diet would benefit or work. Now, 7 years later, the following position statement has been issued by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: It is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that nutritional genomics provides insight into how diet and genotype interactions affect phenotype. The practical application of nutritional genomics for complex chronic disease is an emerging science and the use of nutrigenetic testing to provide dietary advice is not ready for routine dietetics practice. If you have had testing done by this group, I would suggest you ask for your money back.
… Read the rest Posted 19 July 2017 We have been highly critical of DNA testing as a means for creating weight-loss diets, arguing that some of the genes occur at very low prevalence in certain population groups, or not at all, or may be influenced by other triggers or environmental factors. In spite of the lack of evidence for the accuracy or benefit for these DNA based diets, the companies continue to market these products duping consumers. In this newspaper article, titled, ‘We are all mutants now’: the trouble with genetic testing With so many unknowns in our DNA, using genetics in medical testing doesn’t always bring the answers – sometimes it brings only doubt, written by Carrie Arnold and published in The Guardian, she addresses the accuracy of DNA testing for other conditions. She writes: To get a better handle on all the variation in humans, scientists are going to need … Read the rest Posted 10 March 2015  | | What does one say about two health professionals who continue to market a test that claims to be effective for assisting consumers with weight-loss, without any independently, peer reviewed, published evidence that the test is able to indeed fulfill this claim? We would expect that ethical health professionals would desist from doing so, in particular after an ASA ruling. But this is not in the case of Dr. Daniel Meyersfeld and dietician, Yael Joffe. A breach complaint was laid with the ASA. |
… Read the rest Posted 16 July 2012 A consumer complained that the DNA Diet was continuing to make unsubstantiated claims for the product on their website: http://www.dnadiet.co.za. The ASA agreed.
… Read the rest Posted 28 June 2011  | | DNA determines all your physical characteristics such as the colour of your eyes, hair and skin. Two strands of DNA are coiled together inside cells. These two strands contain 46 chromosomes and the result is the human genome – or a unique set of genes that make up each individual. But can we take samples of your DNA, select a sample of the genes and work out a special diet which would help you lose weight? Wow, would that not be wonderful!
The short answer is no, or at least, not yet. |
However a “DNA diet” has been constructed and marketed on this very basis. Is there enough evidence that the selection of genes accurately predicts whether a diet constructed around the results works? I argued to the ASA that although there is good science behind the assessment of genes, at present few genes are definitive … Read the rest
Posted 13 April 2010  | | There is an aggressive advertising campaign for you to part with your money for the DNA diet, which promises that an analysis of your DNA will result in diet that will be best suited to you, and will be the best diet around.Is this true or even possible? |
The claims are based on one study only – a study by Nelson et al* and not published or peer reviewed but presented at a congress. Those wishing to make money from this expensive blood test reference this test as proof that the diet works and has been proven. What was the concluding point made by Nelson and colleagues? They are quoted as saying: “The researchers said their findings were preliminary, and need much more confirmation before they could be used commercially“. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8550091.stm We feel the claims are premature . . .
… Read the rest | |
