Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis Reseatchers find that 'Lean' gut microbes and healthy diet are Key to being lean

Healthy diet discourages obesity microbes in gut

Editor's Choice
Academic Journal
Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Also Included In: Biology / Biochemistry;  Nutrition / Diet;  Genetics
Article Date: 07 Sep 2013 - 1:00 PDT
When you dine, you are never alone. Trillions of microbial guests, resident in your gut, eat with you. They help digest your food and convert it into energy and fat. Now, new research suggests changing the mix of gut microbes can prevent obesity, but only if combined with a healthy diet.
This was the conclusion of a study from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, as reported in the journal Science on September 6th.
The study reveals another clue about the intimate ties between gut bacteria and diet in the development of obesity.

'Lean' gut microbes and healthy diet

The researchers bred mice in a sterile environment so they had no gut microbes of their own. Then, they took gut microbes from human twins - where one twin was lean and the other obese - and transplanted them to the mice.
Mice receiving the obesity-related gut microbes gained weight and fat, and developed obesity-related metabolic problems, while the mice that received the leanness-related gut microbes did not.
Researchers then paired up the mice so that the ones with microbes from the lean human twin were put in the same cages as mice with gut microbes from the obese twin.
Mice naturally eat each other's feces, so the researchers wondered if they would transfer gut microbes to each other, and if so, which set would end up dominating the gut: the leanness ones or the obesity ones?

The study suggests that eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables encourages leanness-related microbes to populate the gut, leading to better weight control.

They found the answer depended on the type of diet.
If the mice were on a healthy diet - one low in saturated fat and high in fruits and vegetables - then the leanness-associated microbes invaded the gut of the mice with the obesity-associated microbes, stopping them putting on weight and developing metabolic problems tied to insulin resistance.
In humans, significant weight gain can be linked to insulin resistance, which is the first sign of metabolic disorder that can lead to type 2 diabetes.


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