An adult male client comes to you presenting with pre-diabetes and a BMI of 29.5. He states that he has slowly been gaining weight over the past two years after he graduated from his Masters program, which was very stressful, and he is having a very hard time losing the weight. He eats a balanced, healthy, nutrient-dense diet that is free from processed and sugary products. He said that he tried only eating one small meal a day for about one month and lost a lot of weight but that it came right back and he wasn’t able to keep the weight off.

He works a full-time job and claims that he has a hard time finding the time to exercise, so he is only lightly active. He has a family history of obesity and metabolic syndrome and has, understandably, become increasingly frustrated and concerned for his health.

What recommendations would you make to help this client? Search for a peer-reviewed research study on a health condition the client is experiencing in connection with FTO polymorphisms (which must have been published within the previous 5 years).

• Provide a summary of the chosen study
• What diet interventions would be beneficial for an individual with this FTO mutation? Why?
• What supplement protocols may be beneficial for an individual with this FTO mutation? Why?
• Research and describe the UCP1 and APOA2 genes and provide the class with a brief summary. How do they relate to FTO? What lifestyle interventions would you suggest for individuals with these polymorphisms?