It is painfully obvious in my family that one diet doesn’t fit all. My sister has the metabolism of an athlete and could sit on her backside and eat cake for a month without putting on one pound. I, on the other hand, only need to walk past a bakery and I’ve gained half a stone. It makes sense to assume our individual genetic makeup can have an effect on health and fitness routines, and the Body Fit from DNAfit provides you with a breakdown of your DNA and how it can impact your diet and exercise. You get a DNA kit sent out to you that asks for a simple cheek swab. This is then sent off and will take about ten working days before you are emailed with your results.
The results were a lot more detailed than I expected, and come in four categories: Diet insights, Fitness insights, Meal and Training plans and Coaching choices. The Diet insights provide a selection of in-depth and easy-to-use genetic insights to help you personalise your diet: this includes Optimal Diet Type, Carbohydrate and Fat Response, Anti-Oxidant and Omega 3 Need, Folate, Vitamin B and D Need, Salt, Alcohol and Caffeine Sensitivity, Lactose Tolerance, Coeliac Predisposition and Phase 1 and Phase 2 Detoxification.
The Fitness Insights provide you with information as to how your DNA can help optimise your workouts, and include the DNAFit Peak Performance Algorithm, Aerobic Trainability, Injury Predisposition, Recovery Nutrition Needs and Recovery Profile. The Meal and Training Plans use DNAFit’s genetically-guided training and meal plan platforms that build recipes around your tastes, genetics and target weight, and show you ingredients lists linked to an online shopping basket. Last of the four is the Personal Health Coach. The Personal Health Coach provides you with a 30 minute call, with choice between qualified dieticians, sports scientists or ongoing coaching support.
There are add-ons at an additional cost that will analyse your sleep, blood, vitamins and stress, but this should be enough for you for starters. You will be provided information on how to use you personal power or endurance response score, injury predisposition and recovery ability to create the perfect training plan, along with a personalised 12 week diet and training program. The MealPlanner learns what you want to achieve, your likes and dislikes and integrates with your favourite retailer: you simply fill your online shopping basket with everything you need for your genetically guided recipe plan.
My first reaction was that this was just a way for people to bore each other over dinner, “I won’t be eating dessert - I have a predisposition to get incredibly fat from custard”. However, the data was just the tip of the iceberg: the personalised programmed and support could genuinely help you, whether you are looking to burn fat or grow muscle, and if after all this you are still not convinced, DNAFit offer a full refund (subject to T&Cs). You won’t get definitive answers on what you can and can’t eat, or what exercise you should and shouldn’t do, but you will get an idea of what could be holding you back. My results were pretty much what I expected, so without getting the entire office to take part, it is difficult to prove that they aren’t just a standard set of results. However, the lifestyle advice certainly won’t do you any harm - if you have the money and are looking for a new health routine, it is certainly and interesting journey to take. RRP £149
4 out of 5
Pros
Straightforward testing process
Easy to understand report
15 reports into your diet insight
Five reports into your fitness insight
Receive personalised health coach, meal and training plans
Money back guarantee
Cons
Difficult to prove accuracy of results
Pricey
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