Escherichia coliWIKIPEDIAPhysical traits like obesity and leanness can be “transmitted” to mice, by inoculating the rodents with human gut microbes. A team of scientists led by Jeffrey Gordon from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that germ-free mice put on weight when they were transplanted with gut microbes from an obese person, but not those from a lean person.
The team also showed that a “lean” microbial community could infiltrate and displace an “obese” one, preventing mice from gaining weight so long as they were on a healthy diet. The results were published today (September 5) in Science.
Gordon emphasized that there are many causes of obesity beyond microbes. Still, he said that studies like these “provide a proof-of-principle for ameliorating diseases.” By understanding how microbes and food interact to influence human health, researchers may be able to design effective probiotics that can prevent obesity by manipulating the microbiome.
The human gut is home to tens of trillions of microbes, which play crucial roles in breaking down food and influencing health. Gordon’s group and others have now shown that obese and lean people differ ...
