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Weight management guide

Weight management with genetic analysis: a guide for clinics, consultants, coaches and studios

Reviewed by Dr. Daniel Wallerstorfer, molecular biologist and founder of Novogenia · Updated: 15 October 2026 · Reading time: 8 min

In short

A weight program with genetic analysis combines three things: a lifestyle analysis that shows how the body responds to carbohydrates, fat, exercise and a calorie deficit; a plan that draws logical conclusions from it; and coaching that helps people stick with it. In an internal Novogenia study with 302 people, participants on a gene-based diet lost around 2.4 times more weight than on a standard diet – a study result, not a promise for any individual. The legal ground rules: no promises of pounds lost in advertising, in Switzerland only through authorized health professionals, and obesity as a disease belongs in a physician’s hands. In ten articles, this guide walks you through the science, program design, the law and your launch.

Same diet, different people

Why does one person lose weight effortlessly just by cutting back on bread and pasta, while another makes no progress at all on exactly the same diet? Anyone who coaches people through weight loss knows this question – and the frustration that comes with it. At Novogenia, we wanted to know whether genes hold part of the answer. In an internal Novogenia study with 302 people, participants on a gene-based diet lost around 2.4 times more weight than on a standard diet (more on our scientific approach). That is a study result, not a promise for any individual. But it shows how much potential lies in a plan that fits the body.

Think of body weight as a mixing desk with many faders: food, exercise, sleep, stress. Genes help decide how strongly each fader works in a given person. Once you know which fader moves the most for your client, you no longer have to push all of them at once.

I am a molecular biologist, and I founded Novogenia in 2009. Our lab in Eugendorf near Salzburg, Austria, has performed more than 30 million analyses since then. With this guide, I want to show you how to build a weight program with genetic analysis responsibly – whether you run a clinic, a nutrition practice, a coaching business, a studio or a pharmacy.

What a weight analysis shows – and what it does not

Novogenia’s weight analysis is a lifestyle analysis, which means a non-medical analysis. From a saliva sample, the lab reads genes that influence how the body handles food, exercise and a calorie deficit. The report groups them into seven topics:

Diet type: more of a carbohydrate type or a fat type – or a mixed type.
Fat sensitivity: how strongly dietary fat drives body weight.
Hunger and satiety: how early the feeling of fullness kicks in.
Exercise or calorie reduction: which of the two levers works better.
Muscle preservation: how well muscle is maintained in a calorie deficit.
Fat distribution: where the body prefers to store fat.
Yo-yo effect: how strongly metabolism adapts after a diet.

Behind these topics are genes such as FTO, PPARG, FABP2, APOA2, ADRB2 and ADRB3. A gene only makes it into a Novogenia analysis if at least three independent studies support its effect. The recommendations we derive from it are logical conclusions – not scientifically proven. How these topics become a nutrition plan is explained in Metabolism: carbs, fats, protein.

What the analysis is not: it is not a diagnosis, not a treatment for obesity as a disease and not a substitute for a medical examination. Genes are one factor among many – an important one, but not the only one.

Who this guide is for

This guide is for everyone who supports people with weight management and is looking for a personal foundation to build on:

Nutrition consultants: weight analyses help you personalize nutrition plans. Our partner page describes the “Personalized weight coaching” model; there is more in our offer for nutrition consultants.
Clinics: genetic analyses and personalized supplements for patients, under your own brand on request (offer for clinics).
Coaches and personal trainers: a program with a personal foundation instead of a standard plan – in Switzerland together with an authorized health professional.
Studios and gyms: tailor nutrition and training to each member (Longevity in the gym).
Pharmacies: the question of why the scale will not budge also comes up at the pharmacy counter (Pharmacy guide).
Physical therapy: preserving muscle during weight loss (Longevity in physiotherapy).

The law in brief: lifestyle here, medicine there

Three rules are worth knowing from day one:

Who may offer the analysis: consultants can offer lifestyle analyses on nutrition, weight, sport, stress and skin – within the rules of their country. Where national law requires it, we provide medical analyses only through physicians. Details for Germany and Austria: Who may offer genetic tests?
Switzerland is stricter: genetic tests of physiological traits, for example on eating behavior or physical activity, may only be ordered by health professionals (Art. 34(1) GUMG, the Swiss Federal Act on Human Genetic Testing). Art. 40 GUMV specifies which ones – among them physicians, pharmacists, drugstore specialists with a higher diploma (Drogist HF) and nutritionists with a university of applied sciences degree (FH). The saliva sample is taken in that person’s presence (Art. 34(3) GUMG), and tests on metabolic disorders count as medical (Art. 37(2) GUMV). That is why coaches and studios in Switzerland work together with an authorized professional.
No promises of pounds lost: in the EU, health claims that refer to the rate or amount of weight loss are not allowed (Art. 12(b) Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006). Switzerland has the same rule (Art. 34(4)(b) LIV). What this means for advertising, testimonials and before-and-after photos is covered in Advertising weight loss.

And one boundary applies everywhere: a lifestyle program is not therapy. Obesity with related conditions, weight-loss medications, signs of an eating disorder or a pregnancy belong in a physician’s hands (Boundaries: when a physician is needed).

Where to start

You want to understand the science: start with Genes and weight. The best-known studies on FTO and gene-based diets are also summarized in Weight management and genes in our nutrigenetics guide.
You are planning a program: read Building a weight-management program and Coaching and motivation.
You want to launch soon: check Advertising weight loss first, then move on to Launch: pilot and offer.

All chapters at a glance

You will also find all 10 articles, sorted by chapter, at the end of this page.

How we do it at Novogenia

What you can expect from Novogenia:

Weight analysis: a lifestyle analysis covering seven topics – diet type, fat sensitivity, hunger and satiety, exercise or calorie reduction, muscle preservation, fat distribution and the yo-yo effect.
Our own lab: analysis in 4 days in our lab in Eugendorf near Salzburg, Austria; the report is color-coded and delivered digitally through a secure portal, printed on request, in up to 18 languages.
Saliva sample: collected with a saliva sample kit, branded for you on request; in Switzerland in the presence of the ordering professional.
Access: you decide whether you see your clients’ reports.
Science: every gene we include is backed by at least three independent studies. Each topic of the weight analysis has its own gene story with a short lecture.
Partner models: your own partner shop with a commission on every order, white label under your brand, or your own product development; no setup fees. Novogenia sells exclusively through partners.
Training: the NOVO Academy is free and optional – around 5 hours of video per language, with a certificate for each completed topic. Its module “The Gene-Diet” is dedicated entirely to body weight.

Frequently asked questions

Is a weight analysis a medical test?

No. Novogenia’s weight analysis is a lifestyle analysis, which means a non-medical analysis. It provides information on genetic traits related to nutrition, metabolism and exercise; it does not make a diagnosis and does not replace a medical examination. Treating obesity as a disease belongs in a physician’s hands.

Who may offer a weight analysis?

Consultants can offer lifestyle analyses on nutrition, weight, sport, stress and skin – within the rules of their country. In Switzerland, only certain health professionals may order such a test, for example physicians, pharmacists or nutritionists with a university of applied sciences degree; the saliva sample is taken in their presence. Coaches and studios there work together with such a professional.

How quickly are results available?

The lab analysis takes 4 days at Novogenia. Add the time it takes to collect the saliva sample and the shipping time. The report is delivered digitally through a secure portal, printed on request, in up to 18 languages.

Can I advertise with pounds or kilos lost?

No. Health claims that refer to the rate or amount of weight loss are not allowed under Article 12(b) of EU Regulation No 1924/2006, and in Switzerland under Article 34(4) of the Food Information Ordinance (LIV). Advertise personal, well-founded coaching, not numbers on the scale.

What does Novogenia’s internal study show?

In an internal Novogenia study with 302 people, participants on a gene-based diet lost around 2.4 times more weight than on a standard diet. The study concerns a diet, not a food supplement. Its figure is a study result, not a promise for any individual.

A weight program with genetic analysis?

Tell us about your offer and your clients – we will show you how the genetic analysis complements your program.

Request a project →Lifestyle analyses

Note: This guide is general information for businesses and professionals and does not replace medical or legal advice. The genetic traits determined in a genetic analysis are well documented (each gene included is backed by at least three independent studies); recommendations derived from them are logical conclusions, not scientifically proven. Regulations can change; errors and changes excepted.