Genetic Test

[heartlooter]

I have had many attempts to lose weight. I was not successful on some of the occasions. I am diagonised with Hypo thyroid and on 100 mcg thyroxine. My friend told something about genetic test which can reveal more details on our body matabolism rate and how it synthesizes various nutritions. Is it true? Is it available in UK? If so how much does it cost etc., Please advise.

[Wendy Green]

Hi,

I'm not aware of the genetic test you've mentioned being available in the UK and even if it is available somewhere privately I wouldn't recommend you spending your money on such a test for the reasons outlined below.

A lot of people who struggle to lose weight blame a slow metabolism. However, research involving thousands of people all over the world hasn't found evidence that overweight people have slower metabolic rates than slim people.

In fact overweight people may have a faster metabolism, because they need more calories to maintain their heavier body weight. While being more active and increasing your muscle mass through strength/weight training can help you burn off extra calories, when you allow for differences in body weight, activity levels etc, most people burn energy at a similar rate. Research also suggests that most people actually eat more than they think they do.

If you're on the correct dose of levothyroxine your metabolism should be functioning normally - however if you have any doubts about this you could ask for a blood test to check your thyroxine levels - though this should be done once a year anyway.

If your thyroxine levels are within the normal range then it's unlikely that you’re finding it hard to lose weight because of a slow metabolism; it’s more likely to be because you’re eating and drinking more calories than you're burning off.

Also, you say you have been unsuccessful in losing weight on SOME occasions, which suggests that you must have managed to lose weight other times - so that suggests that you CAN lose weight again.

My advice therefore would be to do what we all have to do if we want to lose weight, eat less and move more. Keep a food diary for a week, writing down EVERYTHING you eat and drink and then look for tweaks you can make to reduce the number of calories you consume.

For example grill, steam, microwave and bake rather than frying foods. Serve your food on smaller plates, so that you automatically eat smaller portions. Fill up on vegetables and fruit and cut out refined carbs such as biscuits, pies, sweets, replacing them with small portions of whole grains such as porridge, granary bread, brown rice etc. Don't make your diet too strict however, as you're more likely to give it up - allow yourself a small treat each day - e.g. a couple of plain biscuits, a small bag of crisps, or an ounce of chocolate (preferably dark, as it's lower in fat & sugar).

Boost the number of calories you burn off by being more active. Leave the car at home and walk whenever you can. Aim to walk for at least half an hour a day. You don't have to go to the gym - housework and gardening are also great forms of exercise. The important thing is to move around more.

I hope this helps. Good luck with your weight-loss goals.

[Dr Masud Haq]

Thank you for your post.

There are some very rare genetic disorders which are associated with obesity. Under such circumstances you can be tested for these conditions but it really doesn't sound as if this is the problem here.

I'm not aware on any specific lab tests that are widely available to check your metabolism.

Best wishes