Gut bugs fight obesity

Article By: Rozane Mannel
iafrica.com

Bacteria living in the gut of mammals may be the elixir that will help do away with obesity, researchers have discovered.

All mammals have bacteria in their gut that helps gut them digest their food and which provides nutrients that keep harmful bacteria away. According to Live Science, the amount and type of bacteria in your gut can be likened to your fingerprints as they differ from person to person.

It is this “microflora” that scientists believe to be a primary element to understanding inflammatory bowel diseases and obesity which is considered one of the modern world’s most problematic health risks.

Scientists have discovered a particular protein that could control gut bacteria. If the protein (which is called TLR2 and is found on the surface of white blood cells) is not working properly, an imbalance in your gut bacteria occurs making you more susceptible to inflammatory bowel diseases, while being resistant to obesity.

Richard Kellermayer at Baylor College of Medicine believes that this could indicate a serious break through for the fight against obesity. “This remarkable capacity may provide means for the prevention and optimised treatment of common metabolic (such as obesity and diabetes) and gastrointestinal disorders,” he said in a statement quoted by Live Science.

The study also says that the molecule produced by the bacteria, and called Toll-like receptor 2, will reduce the levels of fatty tissues in your body.

Found on the white blood cells, TLR2 live in the lining of the large intestine and recognises the microbes that live around it, communicating with the our immune fighter white blood cells.

Kellermayer and his team believe that learning more about how genes and proteins interact with the gut bacteria, may give them a better idea of how to keep the intestines healthy.