Hal - Deliberately Basic

What if you could have a DNA test that could tailor a much more precise diet and exercise program for you than anything currently available? This program would be as individual as DNA testing itself. In fact, you can, but, and this is a huge but (pun intended).

A recent article in Scientific American (December, 2007) addresses this dieting phenomena, pointing out the current state of technology in this field. On of the key points to remember is, this science is not yet advanced far enough to make recommendations.

I did a quick Google search for DNA dieting, and obtained 207,000 hits. Of course this could be narrowed to be much more specific, but illustrates how quickly companies spring up to make a quick buck on current trends.

The U.S. GAO sent in fictitious profiles, along with DNA of customers to an Internet service for testing. The profiles included: A 32 year old male, a 33 old female, and a 59 year old male, all with different heights, weight, etc. The actual samples were from a 48 year old male and an infant girl. All three came back with the same predictions.
Increased risk of:
• Osteoporosis
• High blood pressure
• Type II diabetes
• Heart disease

This is obvious, generic advice, all of which can be found in a trusted health column, either online or in a newspaper. And it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg (Yep, another pun). DNA and diet could be a major breakthrough with weight and health problems. In fact, the perfect diet may have been found at last. On the other hand, don’t hold your breath waiting for you HMO to pay for the testing for some time to come.

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