Why the tears? It turns out I have a slew of risk factors for putting on weight, from not being able to detect fat on a taste level , to a low metabolic rate, a risk of addictive and impulsive eating behaviours, leptin resistance , and several FTO gene variants that are linked to increased hunger, fat storage, and obesity risk. I’m not crying because I’m worried about becoming obese or developing diabetes. On the contrary, I am thrilled.
FitnessGenes identifies and analyses hundreds of genes but points out that looking at genes in isolation is only part of the story I’m aware that I should lose a few kilos, move a bit more, and build muscle. The importance of resistance training is a topline piece of advice from FitnessGenes, but at the moment the closest I get to resistance is turning down a third glass of wine. Surely the key thing is to stick to any good intentions – does the personalisation approach lead to over complication? “When it comes to generic lifestyle advice, broadly that’s not working,” says Grice.
While we’re on the topic of La La Land, Grice alludes to some of the more sci-fi aspects of the anti-ageing industry, mentioning scientists David Sinclair and Aubrey de Grey, who talk about reversing ageing and – wait for it – immortality. In their world, vampires remain mythical, but feasting on the blood of the young is fair game. In fact it’s a health trend, albeit one reserved for the extremely wealthy, most of whom are looking for ways to spend their tech billions.