Your weight can be influenced by your lifestyle, but genetics play a role too.
According to recent research, individuals at higher risk for obesity might be unintentionally sabotaging their weight loss efforts through common mealtime habits.
Here’s the positive side: scientists have identified a simple adjustment that could help override genetic factors, and it doesn’t require changing your meals.
This study focused on 1,200 overweight and obese adults from Spain, tracked over a 16-week weight loss program. About 80% of the participants were women, with an average age around 41.
The researchers assessed each participant’s polygenic risk score related to Body Mass Index (BMI), which indicates genetic obesity risk.
They also recorded meal times, categorizing participants as “early” or “slow” eaters based on the midpoint of their eating patterns.
After 12 years, those who delayed their mealtimes gained about 2.2% more weight for each hour their meals were pushed back.
Additionally, a notable interaction was found between the timing of meals and genetic risk scores.
Throughout the study, those with a high genetic predisposition to obesity saw an increase of ≥2 points in BMI for every delay in eating, while this effect wasn’t seen in participants with lower genetic risk.
Interestingly, both groups with higher genetic risk and subsequent meal timings exhibited a higher BMI compared to early eaters, who tended to have lower scores.
“These results imply that earlier eating times may be especially beneficial for individuals genetically prone to obesity,” the researchers noted.
The implications are significant.
In the U.S., over 100 million adults are classified as obese, with more than 22 million severely so, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This additional weight heightens the risk of numerous chronic health issues, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, and even certain cancers.
It also drives up healthcare expenses. For instance, in 2019, obese adults were estimated to spend, on average, $1,861 annually on medical care, compared to those of healthy weight. Severely obese individuals faced even greater costs, surpassing $3,000 per person.
If proactive measures aren’t taken, this trend is expected to worsen. At the same time, surveys have shown that many Americans who are overweight desire to lose weight, while research indicates that traditional methods, like calorie counting, often fail to achieve long-term results.
The study authors believe that unraveling the relationship between genetic risks and dietary timing could lead to personalized prevention strategies and focused behavioral changes.
One promising area of focus is precision nutrition, which customizes dietary plans according to a person’s genetic makeup, microbiome, and metabolic responses.
