Microbes Helping to Cause Obesity?
Here’s an interesting article discussing the potential role that microbes (bacteria, viruses, etc.) may play in helping to cause obesity.
Trying to identify any potential contributing factors to obesity is an important goal. With more than 30 percent of the U.S. population obese, and the risk of premature death from all causes 50 to 100 percent greater compared to individuals of normal weight, the stakes are high.
The article discusses the importance of a balanced gut flora (the trillions of microbes that inhabit our gastrointestinal tracts) and the many important functions that they perform, e.g.:
- producing vitamins
- digesting plant fibers
- extracting calories from carbohydrates and fats
- metabolizing cholesterol and bile acids
The authors note how different ratios of different bacteria may play a role in determining how likely someone is to gain fat.
The article goes on to discuss the potential roles of viruses. It notes that a certain virus previously thought to only infect chickens may, when it infects human, lead to greater weight gain (and, surprisingly, lower cholesterol and triglycerides). The article mentions other viruses as well, such as those that may affect the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that regulates appetite.
The research is clearly preliminary, but it’s worth checking out. Whatever the outcome, digestive health is certainly key in maintaining good overall health.
