Relationship between intestinal microorganisms and obesity

2007/02/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Anatomia/Fisiologia
• Osasuna

Researchers at the University of Washington have shown that obese and thin people have a different intestinal flora and have proposed that this flora influences the weight.

Each person has their own intestinal flora. This flora is made up of bile bacteria, which contribute to food reduction and to fight harmful bacteria. Well, researchers have seen that obese and thin people have similar microorganisms (almost all are grouped into two groups), but the proportion of both groups is very different.

According to researchers, the microorganism of obese people can improve the reduction of food. As a result, obese would absorb more kilocalories than thin ones. This idea has sparked debate, but it is the other experiment that argues that by introducing the microorganisms of one obese mouse into another's intestine, it has seen that it accumulates more fat than normal.

However, researchers have recognized the need for further research into the relationship between intestinal microorganisms and obesity.