Bacteria are to blame for obesity
Bacteria are to blame for obesity

Video: Bacteria are to blame for obesity

Video: Bacteria are to blame for obesity
Video: Bacteria in gut may cause morbid obesity 2024, November
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Many believe that overweight people are themselves to blame for their obesity, supposedly if you gather your will into a fist then … This is not entirely true. According to American scientists, not only willpower but also bacteria play an important role.

Researchers have found that the intestines of obese people contain a different type of microorganism than the intestines of slender people. Perhaps this microflora contributes to the fact that they gain weight. The researchers suggested that microorganisms that predispose to obesity absorb more calories from food, which are absorbed by the body and then stored as excess fat. "Small differences in how calories are absorbed may play an important role in the predisposition to obesity," says Jeffrey Gordon of the St. Louis School of Medicine at the University of Washington, who led the study.

The implications of this discovery for people who regret losing weight are unclear at this stage. It is not known how easily it is possible to change the balance of microflora in humans and what undesirable consequences this can have on health. In addition, obesity expert Stephen Bloom of Imperial College London notes that other weight regulation mechanisms could come into play to compensate for any change in gut microflora.

"It may give rise to hysteria. But in reality, there is no easy way of transmitting 'obesity germs' from person to person."

The idea that the bacteria in our bodies partly determines our weight is "quite radical," says Randy Styles of the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, who is researching the mechanisms of weight regulation. Much has yet to be proven here, he notes.

Gordon says that it is possible that substances produced by bacteria that affect the distribution of fat will be identified, and this can be used in the treatment of obesity. In 2004, Gordon first suggested that this mixture of microbes could interfere with weight control. Every human gut contains a unique cocktail of trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms that help break down food and fight pathogens.

However, there is no need to be afraid that you may accidentally pick up the "infection" from your overweight people. "It could give rise to hysteria," says Randy Seeley. "But in reality, there is no easy way of transmitting 'obesity germs' from person to person."

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