MICROBIOME BREAKTHROUGH COULD BE KEY TO FIGHTING OBESITY
Researchers have more than a gut feeling about how to prevent weight gain in the not-so-distant future
Anew discovery in the human gut microbiome – the microorganisms including various bacteria, archaea, fungi and viruses, that live in our digestive tracts – could pave the way for future weight-loss interventions, scientists say.
Due to be announced at the European Congress on Obesity in May, the research has identified specific species of microorganisms that can increase or decrease a person’s likelihood of developing obesity. Based on a study of 361 adult volunteers from Spain, the scientists found six key species that can influence the onset and development of obesity if imbalanced.
The scientists categorised study participants based on their obesity index, with 65 individuals classified as normal weight, 110 as overweight and 186 as obese. They then conducted genetic microbiota profiling to identify the types, composition, diversity and abundance of bacteria present in the participants’ stool samples.
The team discovered that individuals with a higher obesity index exhibited lower levels of Christensenella minuta, a bacterium known to be associated with leanness and health in other studies.
Not only that, they also discovered that men and women are impacted differently by these influential microorganisms. For example, in men, an abundance of Parabacteroides helcogenes and Campylobacter canadensis species were associated with higher body mass index, fat mass and waist size. Meanwhile, in women, the species Prevotella micans, Prevotella brevis and Prevotella sacharolitica were good predictors of obesity risk, while they weren’t in men.
For those who don’t know their C. minuta from their P. helcogenes, the significance of this discovery is surprisingly simple.
“Gut microbiome composition, specifically higher levels of the
C. minuta bacterium, appeared to protect against obesity,” said lead researcher Dr Paula Aranaz, of the University of Navarra, Pamplona. “Whereas the species that influence the risk of developing obesity appear to be different between the sexes.”
This means that we might be able to create obesity-hostile microbiomes in the future by promoting certain types of bacteria. These interventions, Aranaz says, may need to be different for men and women based on the team’s findings.
But before you go in search of extra
C. minuta or attempt to get rid of your
P. micans, bear in mind that the sample for the study came from one area of Spain. Climate, geography and diet could all play a significant role in the results.