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Gut Bacteria In Slim People Extract More Nutrients

Posted by Soulskill on from the starve-them-into-doing-what-you-want dept.

Beeftopia writes "Researchers discovered that inserting gut bacteria from obese people into mice without gut bacteria led to the mice becoming obese. Gut bacteria from slim people inserted into the same mice did not lead to mouse obesity. The researchers concluded (abstract) that gut bacteria from the slim people were more efficient at extracting nutrients from food than those of the obese."

7 of 212 comments (clear)

  1. FIAF. by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This is a FIAF thing..
    http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com/2007/12/fiaf-whos-fat-is-it-anyway.html

    It's not that they're better at extracting nutrients, it's that they influence the body to expend more or less enery. The nutrient extraction is a side effect.

    I do wish researchers would read the relevant literature before jumping to conclusions.

    --
    I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
  2. Hand Sanitizer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I'm thinking increasing usage of Hand sanitizer is killing our gut bacteria. Is there any correlation to this ?

    1. Re:Hand Sanitizer by transporter_ii · · Score: 5, Interesting

      No. It's antibiotics. Blaming it on hand cleaner is like running your AC, but complaining about how much charging your cell phone is running up your electric bill.

      http://www.nbcnews.com/health/antibiotics-may-help-make-you-fat-studies-show-958812

      Could antibiotics make you fat?

      Two studies this week suggest that using antibiotics may save people’s lives, but could also change their metabolisms. Put together, the studies suggest that taking antibiotics might alter digestion to help people absorb calories from food they normally would be unable to digest.

      Every human carries pounds of microorganisms that we couldn’t live without. They break down food and extract nutrients like Vitamin K for us. Antibiotics will kill some of these beneficial organisms, which is why so many doctors now tell patients to eat yogurt after taking a course of the drugs, to replace some of the good guys.

      --
      Doctors destroy health, lawyers destroy justice, universities destroy knowledge, religion destroys spirituality
  3. Re:Mind over Matter by MyLongNickName · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It isn't quite as easy as you might indicate.

    I'm 40 and eat a better balanced diet than when I was 20. I exercise, but weight has gradually increased over time. I was at the bottom end of normal for what BMI charts say I should have been @ age 20. I am now about 15 lbs into the "overweight". My doc says I am fine because I have more muscle, but he wants me to hold the line.

    I made some changes to exercise, working out 5 times a week in the morning and cutting out all soft drinks and after dinner snacking. I dropped 5 lbs in two weeks. i was hydrating a lot so it wasn't water that caused the drop.

    After two weeks, same diet same exercise I dropped 5 more pounds in two weeks. I was feeling great. I was hoping for another 10. But guess what? Two months later, same diet same exercise I didn't drop a single pound. I am not sure how to explain it. It is like my body reached a certain point and compensated for the caloric drop by going into a lower metabolism rate.

    When I was 20 I couldn't gain weight no matter what. Now, I know that 160# is a place that my body just doesn't want to drop below. I understand that I could increase exercise more or cut out even more food... but is it worth it?

    I am convinced that BMI might be a guideline, but it isn't gospel. I can still run a mile at a good clip and keep up with the kids. What am I gaining by dropping into a somewhat arbitrary scale if I am healthy already?

    --
    See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
  4. Re:Mind over Matter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    BMI is a guideline, but it's a poorly applied one. The scale is designed for comparing nursing home patients who are completely sedentary. If you walk a couple miles a day you're officially too active for BMI to make much sense.

  5. evolutionarily by stenvar · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In evolution, one of the biggest threats to humans was starvation. So, what we consider a fat-causing problem these days probably used to be a big evolutionary advantage at some point.

    1. Re:evolutionarily by Solandri · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Through most of human history, being plump was considered attractive. Food was hard enough to come by that most people were thin. Being fat meant you were well fed, and thus affluent. So people considered obesity to be attractive, thinness to be unattractive. The reversal came about only when average productivity increased to where nearly everyone could afford all they wanted to eat, and affluence was exhibited via other ways - like luxury cars, designer suits/dresses, rolex watches, Apple products, and current-gen 3D video cards. Well ok, maybe not the last one quite yet.