Daily Mail

Could a stomach acid pill help shift your spare tyre?

- By ROGER DOBSON

An ACID made by gut bacteria could be key to fighting obesity. Animal studies have shown that lower levels of the acid, known as butyrate, are linked to obesity — the theory is it triggers the release of gut hormones that signal fullness to the brain.

Animals given butyrate supplement­s lost 10 per cent of their body weight after just a month.

now butyrate is being prescribed to overweight children in a new study at the University of naples.

Butyrate is produced when gut bacteria break down dietary fibre, such as wholegrain­s. Research has shown that people who consume large amounts of unrefined, wholegrain foods have higher butyrate levels.

Butyrate has multiple roles, including preventing inflammati­on, and helping the movement of digested food through the gut. Researcher­s at Harvard University in the U.S. have previously found that high levels of butyrate are linked to a lower risk of inflammato­ry bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease. And new research suggests it could also be involved in controllin­g appetite.

It’s well known that we each have a unique mix of gut bacteria, but what’s also becoming clear is there are specific difference­s between the gut bacteria of people who are obese and those of normal weight.

In a groundbrea­king study reported in the journal Science, researcher­s extracted samples of gut bacteria from sets of (human) twins where one twin was fat and the other thin.

THEY

then injected the gut bacteria into mice fed the same diets and found that mice given bacteria from a thin twin stayed slim, while those given bacteria from an obese twin gained weight.

And it seems one of the key factors involved in these difference­s is the level of butyrate-producing bacteria.

A recent study of mice by the University of Utah showed that after five weeks of being given butyrate supplement­s, the mice lost 10 per cent of their body weight. There were also improvemen­ts in their blood sugar levels and insulin resistance (where the cells become less sensitive to the hormone, which can lead to type 2 diabetes).

Other studies have suggested that butyrate supplement­s can reduce cholestero­l levels, too.

The researcher­s involved in the new trial say there is clear evidence that butyrate acts on brain chemicals that control appetite and metabolism. In the six-month trial, which starts this month, 40 overweight children will be given a daily supplement of butyrate or a placebo. The researcher­s say studies have shown that butyrate supplement­s are safe.

Commenting on the trial, Professor David Haslam, chair of the national Obesity Forum, says: ‘There seems to be no doubt that the complexiti­es of the gut are an important key to the understand­ing of obesity, cholestero­l and bile metabolism, as well as gut transit time and even food choices.

‘each and every study into gut hormone metabolism and habitation brings us a step nearer to understand­ing obesity and metabolic disease.’

MEANWHILE, butyrate may also protect the brain from decline and illnesses such as Parkinson’s disease.

Researcher­s at Cornell University, near new york, analysed previous research into the link between the acid and brain health and found it can affect many brain chemicals. It could even change which genes are turned on and off.

They suggest a high-fibre diet could increase levels of butyrate, which may affect which genes in the brain are turned on or off to prevent brain decline and promote the formation of new brain cells, according to the journal neuroscien­ce Letters.

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