Low-carb vs low-fat? Both led to ~12lb loss after a year, regardless of genes

(credit: Allan Foster / Flickr)

In a 609-person, year-long study, dieters lost an average of about 12 pounds-regardless of whether they were trying to stick to a low-fat or a low-carb diet and regardless of whether they carried genetic variations linked to success on one of those diets.

The lackluster finding, published by Stanford researchers this week in JAMA, knocks back hopes that we're at the point of harnessing genetic information to tighten our waistlines. Previous studies had whetted dieter's appetites for the idea, picking out specific blips in metabolic genes that appeared to help explain why some people easily shed poundage on a given diet, while others struggled. Biotech companies have even begun serving up DNA tests that claim to help hungry dieters pair their menus with their biological blueprints.

But according to the new study, that order isn't up yet.

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