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Your genetic makeup could be the reason you’re not losing weight.
New research from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Ben Gurion University in Israel found that one-third of people who followed a healthy diet did not lose any weight — although they did still experience health benefits.
Participants exhibited “significant improvements” in cardio-metabolic markers, including improved cholesterol, lower levels of the hunger hormone leptin and less visceral fat, which is found “deep inside” the abdominal cavity, according to a press release.
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The study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, analyzed changes in weight and health for 761 individuals in Israel who had abdominal obesity.
During three trials, participants were assigned to specific healthy diets — like low-fat, low-carb, Mediterranean and green-Mediterranean — for 18 to 24 months.
Across all clinical trials, 36% of participants achieved “clinically significant” weight loss, while 36% achieved moderate weight loss. Another 28% lost no weight or even gained weight.
Those who were resistant to weight loss, mostly older individuals and women, showed the same health improvements as participants who lost weight.
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“We have been conditioned to equate weight loss with health, and weight-loss-resistant individuals are often labeled as failures,” lead study author Anat Yaskolka Meir, postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard Chan School, wrote in a statement.
“Our findings reframe how we define clinical success. People who do not lose weight can improve their metabolism and reduce their long-term risk for disease. That’s a message of hope, not failure.”
The study, which was funded by the German Research Foundation, did have some limitations.
The majority of participants were men, researchers noted, adding that similar studies should focus on women in the future.
“People who do not lose weight can improve their metabolism and reduce their long-term risk for disease.”
Dr. Philip Rabito, an endocrinologist and weight-loss specialist in New York City, told Fox News Digital in an interview that the study findings support what he’s experienced at his own practice.
“There are likely genetic factors that affect an individual’s ability to lose weight,” said the doctor, who was not involved in the study. “Simply stated, despite similar efforts, caloric restriction and lifestyle interventions, some patients lose more weight than others.”
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Some individuals will not respond “as robustly” to interventions as others, although this can be overcome with correct guidance, according to Rabito.
“With proper counseling, dedication and adherence to a lifestyle program, all patients should be able to appreciate weight loss,” he said.
“Even if there is minimal or no weight loss, the study shows that there are still improvements in health parameters just from participating in a weight-loss program.”
For those who fail to lose weight with traditional weight-loss programs, prescription medications may be an option, he added.
Manoel Galvao Neto, M.D., director of bariatric research at Orlando Health Weight Loss and Bariatric Surgery Institute, agreed that DNA can influence weight loss.
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“It is a true combination of genetic factors, and it affects the metabolism, appetite, fat storage and response to diet and exercise,” he said in a separate interview with Fox News Digital.
Based on emerging research, Neto noted that obesity treatment can be more easily personalized, allowing those with genetic setbacks to reach their fitness goals.
“If you have the marker for ‘hungry brain,’ and you take the GLP-1, you maximize your weight loss by up to 20%,” the doctor said.
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“Obesity is a disease that is chronic, it is progressive, and so far, we don’t have a cure, but we are getting more and more information to help control it in a personalized way.”
Neto encouraged individuals looking to lose weight to “understand yourself” and seek professional help for the best possible outcome.
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