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 Scientists Discover Link Between Weight Gain and Bacteria Microbes Found in the GutA high-fat, high-sugar diet does more than pump calories into your body. It also alters the composition of bacteria in your intestines, making it easier to gain weight and harder to lose it research suggests. The surprising news is that this changeover can happen in as little as 24 hours; much faster than researchers had suspected.
Many factors play a role in the propensity to gain weight, including genetics, physical activity and the environment, as well as food choices. But a growing body of evidence shows that bacteria in the gut also play a key role. These findings could lead to new ways to induce weight loss or to prevent weight gain.
Humans need bacteria in their gut to help convert otherwise indigestible foods into a form that is digestible. Human intestines contain trillions of bacteria. Although hundreds of types of species of bacteria are present, 90 percent of them fall into two major divisions, the Firmicutes and the Bacteroidetes. Previous research had shown that obese mice had higher levels of Firmicutes, while their lean littermates had more Bacteroidetes.
Analyzing the types of bacteria present scientists concluded that the Firmicutes bacteria were more efficient at digesting food like complex sugars in grains, fruits and vegetables, breaking them down into simple sugars. Because these bacteria are more efficient, animals that have a higher proportion of Firmicutes convert a higher proportion of ingested food into calories that can be absorbed by the body, making it easier to gain weight. Over the course of a year, for example, a small increase in absorbed calories could lead to significant weight gain.
In a new research, the science team found that they could transfer Bacteroidetes bacteria from human intestines into mice, creating “humanized” mice. These mice were fed a low-fat, plant-rich diet which did not lead to the same weight gain as the mice containing Firmicutes bacteria.
These findings suggest that the bacterial colonies can be passed from generation to generation, providing an explanation beyond genetics for why obesity runs in families.
Sources: Thomas H. Maugh II; Los Angeles Times, November 13th 2009
Those amazing little “bugs” that live within us! Not only do they provide an important “army” to our immune system they also can help us maintain healthy weight levels. Since we are in the holiday seasons and since we are focusing on that which causes us unnecessary weight gain, it is important for us to understand the benefits of good bacteria.
If we eat too many foods that feed one bacteria over another type we are more likely to gain weight. Therefore if we feed the body with high sugar foods and excess carbohydrates as found in pastries, candies, holiday drinks and other treats we are more likely to assimilate extra calories. However, if we eat food that is less likely to feed these “bad bacteria” then we will be less likely to make their populations grow which means less unnecessary calories for us!
Not only do we want to cut off the “bad guys” food supply, we also want to increase our population of the “good guys” so there is less space for the “bad guys” to populate. How do we do this? Simply eat more fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchee, yogurt, kefir and take pro-biotic supplements like acidophilus and bifidus. These “good guys” are known as probiotics.
By increasing the good guys not only do we increase our immunity against bad bacteria in our food and parasites that naturally live in all of us, we also can reap the rewards of less weight gain! Start today by changing your diet to one that is high in veggies and clean meat and wild fish as well as take a probiotic supplement with acidophilus and bifidus.
Be aware- not all supplements contain bacteria that are alive. Some of my colleagues have spent personal money to have several brands of probiotics analyzed at labs only to find that they contain NO LIVE BACTERIA! Please contact TRILIUM HEALTH for the products that have been tested and true to contain REAL LIVE BACTERIA to benefit your body!
Bye Bye Bad Bugs!
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