Weight Loss & Diet Plans

The Gene Smart Diet

The Gene Smart Diet: How It Works

Here are more details on the five diet and exercise principles that form the foundation of The Gene Smart Diet plan:

1. Increase polyphenols. Consume more dark-skinned whole fruits, vegetables, green tea, legumes, nuts, and seeds (and, in the maintenance phase, red wine and dark chocolate) for the health benefits of these naturally occurring substances.
2. Balance the proportion of omegas-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in the diet. Chilton claims that the right concentration of omega-3 fatty acids can trigger weight loss. He recommends eating plenty of omega-3 rich fish or taking supplements.
3. Increase fiber. The book recommends eating up to 30 grams of fiber per day to control hunger and enhance weight loss.
4. Reduce calories to reasonable levels to promote weight loss. Chilton suggests reducing your daily caloric intake by 20% to 30% of what is needed to maintain your current weight.
5. Exercise at least 5 days a week for at least 30 minutes at a time, to reduce whole-body inflammation and promote weight loss.

In addition to the diet plan, dieters are urged to consume supplements sold on the author’s web site. 

The book includes grocery lists and recipes, as well as daily menus with specific suggestions for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for the five week adaptive/preconditioning phases. Daily exercise prescriptions detail the activities recommended each day of the program.

The Gene Smart Diet: What the Experts Say

Although TheGene Smart Diet includes hundreds of scientific reference articles, some experts believe it's premature to draw conclusions on whether it's possible to change gene expression to promote weight loss.

"There are hundreds of genes for obesity, and even if you could change just one, the impact may be very hard to define -- and it is further complicated by mutations that occur as you age," says New York University professor Judith Gilbride, PhD, RD, past president of the American Dietetic Association.

She urges caution in interpreting studies related to nutrigenomics (the study of genes and diet), and says we must keep in mind that every person has a unique set of genes that may not respond to broad recommendations.

"It is an emerging science that will one day change the way we think about health and nutrition, but we don’t know enough to make sweeping public health recommendations at this time," she says.

Chilton says that we are 10 years away from interpreting nutrigenomics, but he thinks there is enough science to support his five basic principles.

Genes aside, The Gene Smart Diet is a healthful diet. If you reduce calories, eat more healthy foods, and get more exercise, you will lose weight. "Following a healthy, 1,600-calorie diet along with exercise is more likely the reason for weight loss than gene expression," Gilbride says.

Gilbride, however, questions the need for supplements, like the ones Chilton promotes in his book and on his web site.  

The American Heart Association recommends eating fish twice weekly to get the omega-3 fatty acids you need for heart health; the American Dietetic Association promotes relying on healthy foods, rather than supplements. Before taking large doses of supplements, experts suggest checking with your doctor.