DISQUS

Community Page on DISQUS

what is this?

Jump to original thread »
Author

Obesity? Blame It on Bacteria

Started by wardslave · 1 year ago

In this week’s issue of the journal Nature, researchers at the Washington University in Saint Louis reported on bacteria and their contribution to obesity. The mouse studies indicated that certain bacterial species were more abundant in obese mice than their lean counterparts. The “obese” bacteria were also found to harvest energy from food more efficiently […] ... Continue reading »

15 comments

  • This study is certainly interesting although one wonders whether the finding might help point to a cause for obesity or will simply turn out to be a result of obesity.

    Certainly many people believe in detox as one answer to curing obesity (alongside diet and exercise) and such things as colon cleansing to remove bacteria and plaque.

    As with most of these studies, time will tell.
  • Thank you for your comment, Donald. You bring up a good point. Given all the factors correlated with an increase in BMI (body mass index), obesity is multifactorial in origin. But, who knows where in the spectrum of cause-or-effect the bacterial flora lie?

    In a society where dietary indulgence is common, it is easy to shift the blame to a medical--and therefore, uncontrollable--cause. I still believe diet and exercise should be first-line in the management of obesity. Other options (i.e., drugs, gastric bypass) can then be explored in refractory cases. I wonder about colonic cleansing though, and the potential adverse effect of subsequent C. difficile colonization.

    An interesting read would be an article published last week in Science:

    Frayling TM, et al. A Common Variant in the FTO Gene Is Associated with Body Mass Index and Predisposes to Childhood and Adult Obesity.
  • I wonder if this bacteria grows more when persons are under stress. Other chemicals are released during stressful situations that also lead to obesity.
  • Maybe poor diet leads to having the obesity bacteria multiplying.
  • Obesity may come from a bacteria; however, the bacteria may come from inactivity and poor eating. The same calorie in versus calorie expended still hold up in the end!
  • obesity really worries me for the future of our children
  • As a colon hydrotherapist, I do recommend that some clients take probiotic supplements - usually to reduce symptoms such as bloating and constipation. It will be interesting to see what any research results show in human studies of the effects of probiotics on weight management too.
    Emma
  • Emma, it would indeed be interesting to study bacterial colonization patterns in the gut following a course of probiotics. Could the introduction of exogenous bacteria selectively alter natural flora? If so, then would this lead to big pharma or the food industry someday marketing "fat-fighting" yogurt?
  • it is quite funny that you got more and more things to blame on others :p
  • Like many things there's no one answer and can be caused by many factors, such as transfats, toxins, lack of exercise, whole grains, soy, etc..
  • I am Very thank full the owner of this blog. Becouse of this blog is very imformative for me.. And I ask u some thiing You make more this type blog where we can get more knowledge.
  • Personally, I take acidolphilus supplements daily and have found that they have helped my digestion greatly.
  • The European Project MetaHIT (Metagenomics of the Human Intestinal Tract) gathers 12 European research institutes and a Chinese Partner and aims at the characterisation of the human intestinal metagenome. The official website is available at: http://www.metahit.eu
  • Dairy products are an important factor in our diets. But so are many other nutritionals our body needs.

    Medical research shows that 8 out of 10 people will die prematurely due to a degenerative disease. 8 OUT of 10 !

    In contrast - during the XX Century (which ended just 8 years ago), people died prematurely of viral diseases.

    This change has been linked to higher stress, eating habits, and the reduction of nutrients in our food.

    This initiative is meant to help. I applaud it. In addition - journals indicate that everyone should consider taking high quality nutritional supplements.

    Live healthy. Look good and feel great.

    Sergio
    www.feelsuccessful.usana.com
  • Tips like these really do make a difference, thanks for sharing.

Add New Comment

Returning? Login