Gut bugs clue to fatness

Thursday November 12th, 2009

Scientists may have found another clue to controlling human obesity - the bugs in our guts, it was announced last night.

People who eat sugary and fatty food may inadvertently provide a breeding ground for bacteria that promote obesity, according to the new theory.

The idea comes from a study of laboratory mice.

Researchers found that if they "transplanted" gut bacteria from fat mice to slim animals, these went on to put on weight.

Humans and animals carry billions of bacteria in their guts and these are thought to help with the digestion of food.

The researchers began their study, reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine, by transplanting bacteria from human guts into mice bred "germ free".

The mice were then fed a high-fat, high sugar diet - and this led to rapid changes in the make-up of the bacteria in their guts.

The new colonies of bacteria were then transplanted into more "germ free" mice - and these animals were fed a low-fat diet but still accumulated body fat, the researchers found.

The researchers led by Peter Turnbaugh, of Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, USA, write: "Pinpointing obesity triggers in humans is hard because of uncontrollable genetic, cultural, and environmental factors.

"Recent studies have thrown another element into the mix: the microbiota - a distinct community of microorganisms that reside in the human gut and play an active role in its environment."

"The Effect of Diet on the Human Gut Microbiome: A Metagenomic Analysis in Humanized Gnotobiotic Mice," by P.J. Turnbaugh; V.K. Ridaura; J.J. Faith; F.E. Rey; J.I. Gordon at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO; R. Knight at University of Colorado in Boulder, CO. Science Translational Medicine

Tags: Diet & Food | General Health | North America

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