Mouth and Gut Bacteria May Aid in Overweight And Obesity Treatment
Studies
done at The Washington University St. Louis
Medical School have shown that trillions of
bacteria live in our gut. These bacteria
perform specific activities such as extracting
calories from food we eat and managing
nutrients. These bacteria are common to all of
us, however, each individual has a unique set
of the bacteria. Studies
at Washington University have shown that the
composition of the bacteria plays an important
role in weight control. A more recent study
done at Penn State University is suggesting
that mouth bacteria in infants may predict
obesity later in life.
The researchers at Washington University
studied mice, and concluded that obese mice
had more of the bacteria called Firmicutes in
their gut, and fewer of the bacteria
called Bacteroidetes. Firmicutes are
associated with obesity and
Bacteroidetes are associated with leanness.
These same bacteria were found in the mouths
of participants in the Penn State University study.
The researchers indicated that an imbalance
in these two sets of bacteria could lead to
obesity.
The researchers
concluded that “the children who had
rapid weight gain as infants, which is a
strong risk factor for childhood obesity, had
fewer groups of bacteria or less diversity in
their mouth bacteria. These children also had
a higher ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes,
two of the most common bacteria groups of the
human microbiota.”
One of the study’s researchers indicated that “There's … a certain balance of these two common bacteria groups, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, that tends to work best under normal healthy conditions, and disruptions to that balance could lead to dysregulation in digestion,”
One of the study’s researchers indicated that “There's … a certain balance of these two common bacteria groups, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, that tends to work best under normal healthy conditions, and disruptions to that balance could lead to dysregulation in digestion,”
Of course researchers will need to determine
the full effect of these two types of bacteria
in the creation of fat tissue, and the value
of the bacteria in the mouth for predicting
obesity. And researchers need to determine
what diets lead to the optimal composition of
these bacteria. However, gaining knowledge
about these bacteria may enable us to better
fight, predict, and avoid obesity.
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