This New Study Proves You Should Never Diet with a Friend

Christmas has come and gone, and we've eaten all the cookies (opens in new tab), candies (opens in new tab), and Jell-O shots (opens in new tab) imaginable. Now, with the new year finally here, it's time to start thinking about making make some resolutions. And if you're considering cleaning up your diet—particularly with someone else—there's some new information on dieting that you should know before getting started.

A new study from the medical journal Cell (opens in new tab)  recently revealed that eating "healthy" is different for every person. Researchers conducted a number of surveys and tests on over 800 subjects including body measurements and blood tests. They then fed participants identical meals while monitoring their blood glucose levels every five minutes. Glucose levels allowed researchers to measure each participants glycemic index (GI) in correlation to what they were eating, which helped them determine what foods were more susceptible to raising their blood sugar. 

What they discovered was that each person reacted differently to the same foods, and the reason for this has to do with our gut bacteria. After testing samples, researchers explained that, "Growing evidence suggests bacteria are linked to obesity, glucose and diabetes," adding, "specific microbes indeed correlate with how much blood sugar rises post meal." And with everyone carrying trillions of entirely unique gut bacteria, it only makes sense that we'd all have different reactions to the same food.

So what that means is though traditionally "healthy" foods, like tomatoes, might be good for some, they may also put others at risk of high blood pressure. If you do plan on dieting in the new year, nutritionists suggest keeping a journal of what you eat and how it affects your body, before laying out a plan. Because who knows: burgers might end up being healthy for your body.

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