Obesity problem: Get rid of Gut Bugs first

by Mithu Mukherjee · Published May 15, 2013 · Updated June 16, 2015

We become very conscious as soon as we see ourselves gaining weight, after which, we generally continue with regular exercises and control our diet. But you will be really amazed when come to know that body fat or obesity is caused by bacteria and not by laziness or over eating alone.

A research by Chinese scientists has revealed that a particular kind of bacteria residing in the gut can actually make genes generate fat. The research paper, published in the journal of the International Society for Microbial Ecology, has shown that an excessive growth of endotoxin-producing bacteria, accounting for 35% of the gut bacteria in an obese patient.

ROLE OF GUT BACTERIA IN OBESITY

Eating a diet high in sugar makes it hard to lose weight and the reasons are:

1. High glycemic carbohydrates stimulate the production of insulin. And when insulin levels are high, you can’t burn fat. That’s why some experts call it the “fat storage hormone.”

2. High sugar diet can also alter the bacteria in your gut. This change makes it easier to gain weight and harder to lose it. And the effect can happen in just 24 hours.

-Bacterial connection to obesity

Jeffrey Gordon, MD is one of the foremost experts on intestinal bacteria. He and his colleagues recently performed a study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine. It showed the clear connection between sugar consumption, intestinal bacteria and weight loss.
His previous research showed that obese and lean people have different types of bacteria in their guts. The same is true in animals.

Ninety percent of the microbes in your gut fall into two major classes, or phyla:
• Firmicutes – this strain of bacteria is dominant in those who are obese
• Bacteroidetes – this strain of bacteria are dominant in those who are lean

Dr. Gordon and his team did the experiment with two groups of mice implanted the two respective bacteria. He then noticed that even after keeping on same diet, the group of mice with the “obese” bacteria soon became obese and those with the “lean” bacteria stayed lean.
They found the same results using human intestinal bacteria from lean and obese subjects.

Dr. Gordon and his team also discovered that when an obese person loses weight, their microflora revert back to those observed in a lean person.

Now, get to know the exact connection between your gut bacteria and your weight…

Dr. Gordon and his team believe it has to do with digestion. To reach this conclusion, they analyzed the genomes of the two classes of bacteria and they concluded that Firmicutes are more efficient at digesting food that the body can’t. So if you have a higher population of these bacteria, more of the food you eat will be converted into digestible calories. This makes it easier to gain weight. Hence, High sugar diet makes the obese bacteria dominant as the result of which they begin to out-compete and out-proliferate the friendly bacteria.

So, the nutshell is that the bacteria in your gut play a big role in your ability to gain or lose weight. And a high-sugar diet helps the bacteria that promote obesity.

Another aspect of the obesity problem proposed by the Chinese researchers is that bacteria produce an endotoxin from the shedding of their cell wall called lipopolysaccharide (LPS). LPS is a commonly studied compound, as it reliably induces inflammation. Researchers have found that gut-derived bacterial LPS enters the bloodstream and directly triggers insulin resistance, especially liver-related insulin resistance that typically accompanies type II diabetes. Furthermore, a chronic high-fat diet for four weeks raises LPS two to three times normal levels. It is also documented in obese women that LPS activates inflammation, setting the stage for metabolic disease.

Overweight people, specially the pregnant women, are known to have imbalanced microbiota with excess numbers of Firmicutes in the Clostridium and Staphylococcus families when the mother’s immune system is down-regulated during pregnancy.

So, if you want to lose weight and maintain your health:-

1. Firstly, you need to avoid excess fat, refined sugar, alcohol, junk food, grains and high-carbohydrate foods. These foods stimulate the “fat-storage” hormone, insulin. And they also feed the “obese” bacteria in your gut.

2. Secondly, The “lean” bacteria in your gut thrive on fiber. So, feed these healthy bugs lots of organic vegetables and colorful plant foods.

3. Thirdly, to get the digestive and weight loss benefits you seek, you should take a high quality probiotic supplement but, must avoid sweetened yogurt as it is not the best source of probiotic. So, encourage the growth of friendly flora with probiotic supplements (acidophilus) and prebiotic supplements (various types of fiber). Probiotics inhibit these bacteria and stop it from producing the toxic LPS that interferes with human metabolism.

4. Finally, it is always important to address the underlying cause of any digestive problem, not just cover it up with antacids that further induce undesirable bacterial overgrowth by reducing our front line of defense (stomach acid). Improving the digestive tract can also have a significant impact on metabolism, weight management, and cardiovascular health.

REMEMBER: – Fighting the harmful gut bacteria leads to fighting the Obesity and Heart Disease…

Take Care All of You..!!