Posted on 03/05/2010 5:07:55 AM PST by Zakeet
Intestinal bacteria may contribute to obesity and metabolic syndrome, a new study in mice suggests.
"It has been assumed that the obesity epidemic in the developed world is driven by an increasingly sedentary lifestyle and the abundance of low-cost, high-calorie foods. However, our results suggest that excess caloric consumption is not only a result of undisciplined eating but that intestinal bacteria contribute to changes in appetite and metabolism," senior study author Andrew Gewirtz, an associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, said in a university news release.
He and his colleagues found that increased appetite and insulin resistance can be transferred from one mouse to another via intestinal bacteria. The findings are published online March 4 in the journal Science.
It's believed that intestinal bacteria populations in people are acquired at birth from family members and are relatively stable. However, they can be affected by diet and antibiotics.
"Previous research has suggested that bacteria can influence how well energy is absorbed from food, but these [new] findings demonstrate that intestinal bacteria can actually influence appetite," Gewirtz explained.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessweek.com ...
This article caused two of our Freeper favorites to be quarantined as germ factories and placed on death watch
These must be some amazing bacteria. We should figure out what mechanism they use to produce more energy than possible from the materials provided.
Oh, you mean that you still have to force feed your gut the cupcakes? The bacteria aren’t some type of miraculous machine that break our understanding of the laws of nature? They don’t produce fat from nothing?
Then I guess it’s still my fault that I’m a fatass.
uh... YEAH!!!. That’s it! bacteria!
ummmmmmmm donuts!
Where do I go to get some of this bacteria?
And I thought he could not have been any uglier!
Don't give up so quickly. We can still blame our parents, fast food, and global warming.
where do I go to get rid of some of these bacteria?
What ever works!!!
Gee...and I always thought obesity was caused by the “cannot pull away from the buffet line” gene.....
Either that, or Forkinmouth disease.....
So where do you go? Try your neighborhood oncologist. I think there is something to this “bacteria theory” but I dont think its the only cause. JMHO.
hmmm, I wonder if the products that promote “good gut bacteria” can help defeat “bad gut bacteria”?
Kudos to you for what you went through, and best wishes for continued good health! But I think I’d choose fat over chemo!
Guten tag ping.
Or Peanutbutter...
Or Beer....
Or Pizza....
the bacteria that feed on brewers yeast to create beer....
In my opinion, all bacteria are “amazing”.
This might explain why some surgeries on the gut, though not intending to, cause serious weight loss in patients. This does not happen to all (sorry!) but some doctors were looking into the idea that the intestinal track had some sort of “back door” connection to the brain that regulated hunger and ability to gain nutrition from food taken into the system. As if the gut had it’s OWN brain that regulated it. It’s like you control your breathing while you are at rest, it’s no big deal. You run up six flights of stairs and you are most likely no longer able to control your breathing, your body COMMANDS you to take in more breaths to meet your body’s needs. Likewise with the gut, it starts to tell you that you NEED more intake (perhaps spurred on by that amazing bacteria) and you respond with hunger for specific foods that satisfy that need, and the bacteria!
Gods creation is truly a wondrous and miraculous thing.
<hunting for the brain bleach bottle (again!)>
And there's no force-feeding required, the bugs drive your appetite. You can't be happy unless the bugs are happy, so you eat. If you try to starve the bugs, you starve yourself too.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.