Funmurphys: the Blog

In Other News ...

Yes, it's time to hear about my favorite topic -- intestinal bacteria. This time, it's a downside. The little critters may be responsible for obesity:

Friendly bacteria in your gut could determine whether you pack on fat or stay lean, according to new research from Washington University. A team of researchers led by Fredrik Backhed, Dr. Jeffrey I. Gordon and Dr. Clay F. Semenkovich at Washington University discovered that bacteria, which are a normal part of the intestine, help unlock a gate that allows fat to enter cells for storage.

The researchers raised some mice in a germ-free environment. Those animals had no bacteria in their intestines and had little body fat. Mice that grew up in a conventional environment with bacteria in their intestines had 50 percent more body fat than the germ-free mice did, even though the mice ate the same amount of food.

The researchers then transplanted bacteria from the conventionally reared mice into previously germ-free mice. The animals ate no more than before, but dramatically packed on fat, increasing their body fat content 60 percent in two weeks, Gordon said.

I'm not overweight; I'm overcolonized by gut microbes.