Will an obesity gene test help me?

Key points in 30 seconds

1. It can serve as a reference, but it won't tell you "lose weight this way."
2. The results aren't "yes/no" but "you tend to."
3. It has not been clearly confirmed that plans built around the results lead to more weight loss.
4. It may help you see that your failures weren't due to laziness.
5. Writing down what you ate for a few days tells us more than the test.

What we often hear

• "I'm thinking about getting a genetic test."
• "I've heard so many times that it's my constitution."
• "What can I find out if I get tested?"

Will an obesity gene test help me?

It can serve as a reference. But the results won't tell you "this is how this person should lose weight." It's honest to say that first.

Many people get tested because they want to know why they've failed. We understand that feeling. But what people expect and what the test can give are different.

What does the test tell you?

It tells you tendencies as probabilities, such as whether you tend to gain weight easily or tend to have trouble controlling your appetite. It's not "yes/no" but "you tend to."

You send in a saliva sample, a few genes are examined, and the results come back. It's not difficult and it doesn't hurt.

Then what are its limits?

Genes account for a smaller share than you might think. Even people with the same results end up very differently depending on how they live.

And as far as has been confirmed so far, it has not been clearly shown that designing diet or exercise differently based on the test results leads to more weight loss. We won't hide this.

Bad results don't mean you can't lose weight, and good results don't mean the weight will come off on its own.

Is there still a reason to get it?

If there is one, it's this — once some people confirm that their failures weren't due to their own laziness, it becomes easier for them to start again.

What we often hear in the clinic is, "It's because my willpower is weak." There's clearly a part that isn't, and seeing it on paper changes how people feel.

But whether to spend money for that benefit is up to you. We won't start by recommending it.

Then what do you look at first?

What you actually eat now, how long you sleep, how much you move, and things that affect weight, such as your thyroid and the medications you take.

These have a much bigger effect than genes, and they're things you can change. If you write down what you ate for a few days, that one record tells us more than the test.

What are the limits of this assessment?

This field keeps changing. It may become clearer in the future, but at this point, this is as far as we can say.

One more note. We're not saying this because our clinic offers the test. If anything, we wrote this to lower expectations.

We don't plan your diet based on genetic results. How you eat and how much you move now have a much bigger effect.

If you're wondering whether to get tested, just ask us. We'll tell you what you can do first with that money.

Results differ greatly from person to person depending on their living conditions.