Top Tip Lists for Good Health

So the researchers looked to the genetic data, and indeed, there were two specific genes that stood out related to patterns of fat loss and exercise. Participants with certain combinations of those genes and their variants had significantly different fat loss outcomes.

The complex science at this level can be pretty confusing. Genes are named with different alpha-numeric characters, and so are their variant alleles. If you're not careful, you can end up in some real alphabet soup just trying to talk about it, but basically two genes are involved here: the CYP19 and the COMT.

Researchers found that having one CYP19 gene and its variants was not consistently associated with percentage fat, total fat, subcutaneous fat or intra-abdominal fat, the dangerous excess that gathers around our vital organs.

Though fish is a must-have item on every dieter’s menu, a new study by Michigan State University researchers has found that some fish may actually cause the pounds to pile on. More than 250 mothers and their children who live along and eat fish from Lake Michigan were tested for their exposure to DDE – a chemical component that results from the breakdown of now-banned insecticide DDT. Compared to the group with the lowest levels, those with intermediate levels of DDT gained an average of 13 pounds excess weight over the last decade, and those with higher levels gained more than 20 pounds of excess weight.