Obesity and bacteria

Greedy guts?

Every week seems to bring a new theory about why people are getting fatter. The latest is that intestinal microbes are partly to blame

ALTHOUGH most people prefer not to think about it, human guts are full of bacteria. And a good thing, too. These intestinal bugs help digestion, and also stop their disease-causing counterparts from invading. In return, their human hosts provide them with a warm place to live and a share of their meals. It is a symbiotic relationship that has worked well for millions of years.

Now it is working rather too well. A group of researchers led by Jeffrey Gordon, of the Washington University School of Medicine, in St Louis, has found that some types of microbes are a lot better than others at providing usable food to their hosts. In the past, when food was scarce, those who harboured such microbes would have been blessed. These days, paradoxically, they are cursed, for the extra food seems to contribute to obesity. Worse still, these once-benign microbes have even subtler effects, regulating the functioning of human genes and inducing the bodies of their hosts to lay down more fat than would otherwise be the case.

http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8486096

This subject is way over my head however at a quick glance I feel better knowing it is not my fault for getting fat. Jeffery Gordon? is that Elliot Gordon's son? You know, Elliot Gordon from the food network?
Topper (going for another snack)

Working in a hospital, my first thought when I saw this was of all the bacteria in the crevices and folds of large people.

I think I need a vacation.

I am living proof that these microbes exist in abundance!

My take on this article is that the balance of bacteria might be a contributing factor but not necessarily the factor. Your actual mileage may vary.

I'm going to experiment and find out whether large quantities of German beer will make those ******* bugs less efficient...sort of like a chemical stomach stapling.

I used to be blessed with loads of this bacteria (140kg+) but it seems that a healthy diet and exercise killed them off (78kg),

Funny that.

Edit:
Quote- Unfortunately, further probing showed that the story is a little more complicated, for Dr Gordon did not merely count the gut bacteria of fat and thin people—he then put some of the fat ones on a diet. As these once-obese humans lost weight over the course of a year, their mix of gut microbes changed to reflect their new, svelte status...........Nevertheless, this part of the experiment suggests it is weight that determines gut biodiversity, not the other way round.


Sorry cuddly ppl, you cant blame the bug in your gut.....