Gut Bacteria Cause Overeating in Mice

[tinrobot]

The connection between gut bacteria and obesity has gained some weight, with new findings demonstrating links in mice among immune-system malfunction, bacterial imbalance and increased appetite.

Mice with altered immune systems developed metabolic disorders and were prone to overeating. When microbes from their stomachs were transplanted into other mice, they also become obese.

“This supports the notion that some of the increase in obesity may be because of changes to gut bacteria,” said Andrew Gewirtz, an Emory University immunologist and co-author of the study, published March 4 in Science.

The findings are the latest in a growing body of research about the long-unappreciated role of bacteria in our bodies. Bacterial cells actually outnumber human cells in the body: From an outside perspective, people are not so much individual organisms as symbiotic human-bacteria collectives.

Read More http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/03/bacteria-obesity/

[DJ13]

1. So thats my problem

I've gotta stop eating mice!

(K&R!)

[tinrobot]

2. Antibiotics a possible trigger for obesity?

From the article:

One possible culprit is the ubiquitous presence of antibiotics, both prescribed and in the environment, said Gewirtz.

“It may be that an unintended consequence of this has been the upset of bacterial populations that are promoting obesity and metabolic syndrome,” he said.

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Interesting. Might explain part of the rise in obesity over the past 20-30 years. I'd love to see a chart comparing antibiotic use in meat production against average weight.

[trotsky]

3. Would be hard to read much out of a chart like that.

There could very well be a connection, but I could also chart cell phone use against average weight over the last 20-30 years and they'd probably correlate pretty well too. As would hi-def TV purchases or even the U.S. Budget deficit.

[tinrobot]

4. We don't eat cell phones

We do eat meat laced with antibiotics, however.

[trotsky]

5. You're missing the point.

Look up correlation vs. causation.

[Chemisse]

7. So many things have changed in our diet and environment in recent decades

It would be hard to prove that any one of them caused the 'epidemic' of metabolic syndrome.

Still, this is an exciting idea. If we could someday manipulate our bacterial population and prevent obesity, it would be a wonderful thing.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

6. Now let me see..... what drugs can I take to restore the natural

balance of bacteria in my intestines..... all 100 trillion of them??? ZERO.

[BonnieJW]

8. what about probiotics?

Wouldn't that help?