colette_heimowitz : Craving Fatty Foods? It May Be Genetic

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Craving Fatty Foods? It May Be Genetic

You may have seen news about this on our Forums and Facebook page, but a new study in the journal of Obesity shows that people who have certain forms of the CD36 gene may like high-fat foods more than those with other forms of this gene. If you have this gene, this explains why you may have struggled on low-fat diets in the past, and why you have success with Atkins’ higher fat, low-carbohydrate plan. “Fat is universally palatable to humans,” says Kathleen Keller, assistant professor of nutritional sciences, Penn State. “Yet we have demonstrated for the first time that people who have particular forms of CD36 gene tend to like higher fat foods more and may be at greater risk for obesity compared to those who do not have this form of the gene. In animals, CD36 is a necessary gene for the ability to both detect and develop preference for fat. Our study is the first to show this relationship in humans.”

As you may know, there are over 80 peer-reviewed studies showing the efficacy of Atkins, especially if you are carb intolerant and have Metabolic Syndrome, pre-diabetes or are insulin resistant. With this latest study, we now have a test that can help people identify their tendency to like higher fat foods and who may be at a greater risk of obesity. Just think... instead of struggling with diet after diet without success, if you were able to know that you have certain forms of this gene, you could help prevent your chances of obesity by following a higher fat plan like Atkins even before the pounds start piling on. The team of researchers for this study also has future plans to expand the population they examine to children. “By the time we are adults it is very hard for us to change eating behaviors,” says Keller. “So if we can determine which children have forms of the CD36 gene, as well as other genes that are associated with a greater liking of fats, we can help them develop healthier eating behaviors at a young age.”

Bottom line? If you have this gene, following a diet like Atkins could be a very effective preventive measure. With this being said, it’s also important to note that even if you don’t have this gene, research shows that Atkins is quite effective for so many other reasons.

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Published Tuesday, February 14, 2012 01:09 PM by colette_heimowitz

Filed Under: Nutrition

Comments

2333 said:

I don't know if I have this gene, but this is so true for me. I remember holidays desert time, all my family at the table enjoying the cake and sweets, and me - in the kitchen fridge looking for meat, fat gravy, sausages... Yummy.
I can't stand low fat diets, not even for half a day. The hunger for something substantial is too strong, no way I could do these diets. With Atkins I don't have this guilt, and really enjoy butter (I could eat it with the spoon), hot vegetables fried in fat, butter on top, coconut cream and oil, meat - the fatter, the better. If I crave - I do crave these. All my life I was slim and healthy. But for maybe several years I became aware that what I'm doing is wrong, because I could hear from all corners that this way of eating is wrong, wrong and will lead me to heart attack. So, I've tried to accommodate more "healthy" diet, means more complex carbs, german black bread, beans, etc . All healthy stuff, yes? I also cut my fat and meat intake, accordingly (because is bad for me, yes?) No matter how "healthy" I eat, I started to put pounds on me, namely 30 pounds mostly around my waist. I knew by then that low-fat diet won't work for me, so I quietly resigned from my skinny clothes. It's better to be fatter than not healthy, I told myself. But then I started to feel very uneasy with - what I recalled- ups and downs daytime crash of energy. I became very sensitive to hunger, dizzy when hungry, sleepy when full, with no energy whatsoever.
I'm in my 6th months on Atkins, and, besides the fatty stuff, I enjoy all fiber I can eat - veggies, flax, almonds and nuts. My husband and I never eat so many veggies in our lives (my husband is not on Atkins by the way) sometimes I joke that I will become a rabbit.

February 14, 2012 05:56 PM EST

Cindy_Lu457 said:

I just want to say HI to you Colette, I am enrolled @ IIN and just finished listening to your lecture on Atkins. I am one of those people who only heard all the bad stuff... My daughter went on Atkins about 10 yrs ago, did really well, but... she most likely did not follow maintenance because she put it all back on and then some. Of course she blames Atkins for messing up her metabolism.

I have had a weight issue to deal with for 10 years now. I was very, VERY sick and on prednisone for a very long time @ 60mgs a day. I gained an enormous amount of weight. My Rheumatologist told me not to worry it will all come off once I stop taking the drug... ha! I had Systemic Lupus and no it is not in remission, I was completely healed of the disease at a revival service. BUT it did leave me with a whole host of other issues I have had to deal with. Like joint issues on my left side - shoulder, hip, knee ankle... all are weakened from the prednisone.

My Adrenal Glands were almost non-existant and I managed to coax them back to health with the help of a nutritionist.

My current diet consists of mainly vegetables and chicken or fish... very little red meat. If I do choose to eat it, usually it is bison meat. The fish I eat is fresh caught that day - a friends husband is a fisherman, I live on the east coast. My chicken free range, additive free, and my bison is grass fed.

I am trying this program out for size, giving it a month... I really NEED to get this weight OFF! The only thing that has worked so far for me is raw food juicing, but I am growing weary of it... I switched off to two juice meals a day, morning and evening, then lunch is well balanced meal. Snacks are usually a handful of almonds while working on my job, and I don't usually snack through the rest of the day. My juice meals do include raw protein and green drink mix with almond milk, chia seeds and oat bran. My body naturally is inclined to high cholesterol, keep it in check with the oat bran.

The weight really fell off when I juice all meals... that was five times a day. One can't keep that up too long and keeping the weight off in between fasts was a bit difficult. This is why I switched off to two juice meals and on "normal meal" that I tried for the most part to keep raw.

the down side is, I have not lost any more weight. So here I am... I loved your lecture... took mega notes and I am logged in to this site to give Atkins an honest go...

February 14, 2012 07:22 PM EST

2333 said:

Cindy
What is IIN.

February 14, 2012 09:35 PM EST

mygirlie said:

It seems to me that they were saying that those with that gene are at higher risk of obesity, heart disease etc. because they tend to eat more fat. Rather than pointing out that fat is not bad....sugar is and that many low fats foods are not so good for you because they contain more sugar to replace the fat. They did mention Atkins but was neither positive or negative about it....just that some folks with the gene would favor a diet such as atkins.
It is soooo frustrating to continue to read that low fat is best...stay away from saturated fats and so on. There is so much confusion out there about what is best to eat and so many people continue to get fat and unhealthy because of it. Our son was just diagnosed with type II - doctor really scared him about consequences (something I was never successful at) however, when he went to thier classess about how to eat....they said all the opposite of what I told him. They preached low fat, no saturated fats, and so on. This time he listened to me....and has been so successful in bringing his sugars into normal range, continues to loose weight and will have his labs done again in April. The doctor is "shocked" - her words at his progress. I bet when he returns for f/u in April...he will no longer need meds. I'm convinced fat is ok without sugar! And that everyone handles it (sugar) differently. Wish mainstream would get on-board.

February 15, 2012 07:46 PM EST

colette_heimowitz said:

IIN is the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I sit on the Advisory Board and have lectured to the study body in the past. I am assuming Cindy saw an old lecture. I am wondering if they showed my PowerPoint Slides as well or just the audio?

Thanks for posting Cindy. Too bad about your daughter. It is a common mistake that dieters get stuck in the Induction phase and never walk up the carbohydrate ladder to find their own individual carbohydrate tolerance and balance. They usually lose all the weight in Induction then return to their old way of eating and wonder why they gained all the weight back. You should buy her the latest book 'The New Atkins for a New You' by Drs Westmen, Phinney and Volek. I was project coordinator on the publication and I am proud of the work produced and information offered in that book.Your daughter is most like;ly carbohydrtae intolerant and a well constructed Atkins would be best suited for her.

Glad you are doing well, Sounds like you have been through a lot. Let me know if I can be of any assitance. It may take awhile for you to become keto adapted. Make sure you are consuming adequate healthy fats. Doing Atkins right is not the time to be fat phobic. Juicing is fine for detox, but we need to build you up now, build muscle, and replenish amino acid availability to replenish cells. Keep me posted

February 16, 2012 02:54 PM EST

AnitaJC said:

Hi Colette,

I'm sorry about this print. I don't know how to change it. I hope you can help me. My doctor put me on on coumadin and I can't have ANY green Vegetables. I've lost 12 lbs and I want to continue losing. How can I do this when I can't have any green veggies?? Anita

February 25, 2012 07:01 PM EST

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