No “One Size Fits All” Diet

Through television ads, magazine and the internet, we’ve all heard companies advertising for the “perfect” diet plan. The trust is, there is no perfect diet plan that will work for everyone. Sciencenews.com titled their article, “A good diet for you may be bad for me” and that is the newly exposed truth. Certain foods can increase a persons blood pressure differently than it does to another person. The glycemic index measures how food raises blood glucose. Researchers have recently discovered that a food glycemic index is dependent on the eater (the person consuming the food). For example, one person may eat a cookie and experience a sugar rush, while someone else eating the same cookie might not be affected.

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http://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-8674(15)01481-6 

Eran Segal and Eran Elinav of the Weizmann Institute of Science, created a study to determine how different peoples bodies respond to eating the same food. The study put blood glucose monitors on 800 people. The researched supplied each person with a standard diet. The study found that although they all ate the same food, each persons blood sugar levels varied drastically. There are many factors that play into this; traits and behaviors such as body mass index, sleep, exercise, blood pressure and cholesterol levels all affect a persons response to food. Based on these findings, it’s not about what you eat but instead how your system processes the foods

You may not be sold completely just yet. After all, it’s not necessarily a strong argument if there is only one experiment done. Thankful, there were many more conducted that produced the same results. A team led by Elinav and Sega created a computer algorithm which used 137 personal measurements to predict a person’s blood sugar level after eating a certain food. This was then tested on a new group of 100 people, the algorithm correctly predicted the response 70% of the time. With more studies, the data was continually consistent proving there was no fluke. The team then focused on a smaller group; A group of 26 people were given personalized meals. The computer algorithm analyzed each person and narrowed the experiment down to 12 people. They worked with a nutritionist to create “good” and “bad” diet for each person. Good diets consisted of foods that minified blood sugar spikes after eating, while bad diet were those that increased blood sugar dramatically. All of the diets contained the same amount of calories (constant). Along with previous study, the study found that foods on one person “good” diet were sometimes on another person “bad” diet. For example, one woman’s blood sugar spiked when ate tomatoes but tomatoes were often on other people’s healthy list.

Is it a breakthrough?

Dr. James DiNicolantonio, a cardiovascular research scientist at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute is skeptical of the results. He claims there is very little practical takeaway and questioned their decision to measure blood sugar levels after eating. In terms of diabetes, measuring insulin is the most established way to determine whether people are developing insulin resistance (leads to type 2 diabetes). 

Segal and Elinav understand this but for the sake of the study, blood sugar levels can be continually measured by an attached device. It would be highly unpleasant to prick a person for blood 2,000 times to measure their insulin levels. 

As we know criticism only makes science stronger. I think Segal and Elinav carried out accurate and successful experiment which resulted in a greater gain for understanding the affect food has on our body. Especially in todays society when we are persuaded by so many commercial brands saying “they have the ultimate weight loss cure”. These experiments may lead to further knowledge and research on what is causing the differences in blood sugars.

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/no-one-size-fits-all-diet-plan_564d605de4b00b7997f94272 

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/good-diet-you-may-be-bad-me 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/11/20/the-diet-study-that-upends-everything-we-thought-we-knew-about-healthy-food/ 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/47979 

http://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-8674(15)01481-6 

http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/understanding-carbohydrates/glycemic-index-and-diabetes.html