[Iran Press TV Latest] Some of the hundreds of bacteria found in the digestive systems are believed to be responsible for obesity and a group of other health conditions, a new study finds.
"Previous research has suggested that bacteria can influence how well energy is absorbed from food, but these findings demonstrate that intestinal bacteria can actually influence appetite," said lead researcher Andrew Gewirtz.
According to the study published in Science, certain bacteria cause affected individuals overeat through stimulating inflammation in the body.
Baby mice born to mothers having these bacteria in their gut were reported to develop the very micro-organisms even if their embryos were transferred into surrogate mothers, the study found.
These mice were more vulnerable to developing metabolic syndrome -- a group of symptoms including high cholesterol levels, abdominal obesity, high blood pressure and insulin resistance -- later on in life.
Scientists concluded that intestinal inflammation caused by these bacteria alters insulin from working properly and subsequently causes insulin resistance and obesity.
They hope to identify the culprit bacteria in the near future in order to tackle the global epidemic of obesity affecting millions of individuals worldwide. |