Posted on 01/23/2025 1:07:12 PM PST by Red Badger
Scientists may have identified a way to naturally regulate blood sugar levels and sugar cravings in a similar fashion to drugs like Ozempic.
In mice and humans, the key to unlocking this natural process was found to be a gut microbe and its metabolites – the compounds it produces during digestion.
By increasing the abundance of this one gut microbe in diabetic mice, researchers led by a team at Jiangnan University in China have shown they can "orchestrate the secretion of glucagon-like peptide-1".
Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a hormone that is naturally produced by the body and which helps regulate blood sugar levels and feelings of fullness. GLP-1's release is stimulated by certain foods and gut microbes, and its mechanism of action is mimicked by drugs like semaglutide (the ingredient behind Ozempic).
People with type 2 diabetes typically have impaired GLP-1 function, leading to issues with blood sugar control, which is why Ozempic and other GLP-1 agonists work as treatments.
These drugs mimic natural processes in the body, and while they have proved very effective, some researchers want to figure out how to get the body to produce more GLP-1 on its own.
"A growing body of research has revealed that our cravings for dietary components originate from signals sent from the gut, a key organ in transmitting dietary preferences," explain the authors.
"However, which genes, gut flora, and metabolites in the gut microenvironment are involved in the regulation of sugar preference is currently unclear."
The new research suggests gut microbes like Bacteroides vulgatus and their metabolites may help shape a person's sweet tooth.
In experiments, if mice could not produce a gut protein, called Ffar4, the researchers found the gut colonies of B. vulgatus shrank. This, in turn, decreased the release of a hormone called FGF21, which is tied to sugar cravings.
New Study Hints at Natural Alternative to Ozempic Hiding in The Gut
Diagram of GLP-1 agonist pathway and FGF21 pathway. (Ayesh, Biomedicines, 2024)
In studies of mice taking GLP-1 agonists, researchers have found the drugs stimulate FGF21.
Meanwhile, in humans, some studies suggest that those with genetic variants for the FGF21 hormone are about 20 percent more likely to be top-ranking consumers of sweet foods.
In a blood analysis of 60 participants with type 2 diabetes and 24 healthy controls, the researchers in China found that Ffar4 mutations, which reduce FGF21 production, are linked to an increased preference for sugar, "which may be an important contributor to the development of diabetes."
What's more, the gut microbiome could be a key mediator of that process.
Sure enough, the research team found that when mice were treated with a metabolite of B. vulgatus, it boosted GLP-1 secretion, which then also triggered the secretion of FGF21.
Together, this meant more blood sugar control and fewer sugar cravings in mice.
Whether the same will extend to humans remains to be seen, but the authors claim their study "provides a strategy for diabetes prevention."
The study was published in Nature Microbiology.
O - o - o - O -rgasm
You WILL lose muscle mass while taking this.
You WILL have to make your meals SMALL or you vomit.
NOT RECOMMENDED
I keep telling people just drink kefir. Kefir has Bacteriods vulgatus plus just about every other beneficial bacteria your gut needs.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0963996922005026
So easy to make your own just need some grains and good milk.
I searched “foods with B Vulgatus”
it came up saying beef, dairy, broccoli
Yeah, the natural alternative to Ozempic? Duct tape.
While kefir does contain a wide variety of bacteria and yeasts beneficial to gut health, P. vulgatus is not typically highlighted as a key or dominant strain, and its levels may vary widely.
Yes, pantothenic acid supplements convert to pantothenate in the body. Pantothenic acid, also known as vitamin B5, is the precursor to pantothenate, the biologically active form used in various metabolic processes. After ingestion, pantothenic acid is absorbed in the small intestine and converted into coenzyme A (CoA) and acyl-carrier protein (ACP), both of which contain pantothenate as a core component.
life is like that mouse maze in science class...
some figure it out while some don’t...
medications won’t correct eating habits...
Thank you.
I believe that the Bacteroides vulgatus is what we want.
“Bacteroides vulgatus is a type of bacteria that may be present in kefir, a probiotic-rich food. Bacteroides vulgatus is also present in the human gut microbiota. “
Bacteroides vulgatus, recently reclassified as Phocaeicola vulgatus, is a prominent bacterium in the human gut microbiota...
Thanks!
Thanks
bkmk
“metabolite of B. vulgatus,”
You don’t have that in your spice cabinet next to cinnamon?
If I were to be hypnotized, I’d want to be programmed to like yogurt. Or even be able to smell it without gagging. I would love to be able to eat it.
Yes…the RIGHT strains have SO many benefits.
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