Your health: Could DNA diet help you lose weight?

Could DNA diet help you lose weight?

A DNA diet, in which you eat certain foods based on your genes, could help you to lose a third more weight than calorie counting, experts claim.

They put dieters on one of five eating plans based on the results of a mouth swab test, the Daily Mail reports. Obese patients using these plans lost 33 percent more weight than those on standard diets, they said.

Scientists behind the method claim our individual genetic makeup means that our bodies process fats and carbohydrates differently, so some of us put on more weight than others even when we eat the same foods.

But other experts are skeptical and say more research is needed. The DNA diet, which is available commercially, involves taking a swab test using a DIY kit and sending the results for analysis.

Dieters are assigned one of five plans, such as low carbohydrate, low fat and Mediterranean. In a study of 191 obese people, those using this diet lost 33 percent more weight than those counting calories, the European Human Genetics Conference in Milan was told.

Staring at computer is ruining your eyes

Are your eyes getting a bit itchy as you're reading this?

You might be suffering from symptoms that mimic those of a chronic ailment called dry eye syndrome, according to a new study by the School of Medicine at Keio University in Tokyo, Yahoo! News reports.

Researchers have found that the more time you spend in front of computer screens, the more likely you are to experience eye problems like tearing and eyelid soreness due to the lack of coating of protective moisture.

Anyone who has been on a plane or driven in a convertible has experienced similar but temporary symptoms of dry and irritable eyes. Those that have dry eye disease, however, live with these conditions every day and can suffer complications like infections and even scarring.

The new study published recently in JAMA Ophthalmology, followed 96 Tokyo office workers, measuring levels of a particular protein - MUC5AC - which is secreted from the upper eyelid and is part of the naturally-occurring mucous layer or tear film that keeps the eye moist.

Their findings show that as many as 7% percent of men and 14% of women had full-blown dry eye disease.