Researchers find gut bacteria that can help lose weight, boost metabolic health

US researchers have found a gut bacterium that may help people lose weight and enhance their metabolic healthThis comes amid several weightloss injections and medications that have proved their ability to help people lose weightIn studies on mice the team from the University of Utah found that a specific type of gut bacteria called Turicibacter can improve metabolic health and reduce weight gainPeople with obesity tend to have less Turicibacter suggesting that the microbe may promote healthy weight in humans as well The results could lead to new ways to control weight by adjusting gut bacteria said the team in the paper published in the journal Cell MetabolismTuricibacter a rodshaped bacterium was found to singlehandedly reduce blood sugar levels of fat in the blood and weight gain for mice on a highfat dietTuricibacterrsquos effects are unlikely to be unique many different gut bacteria probably contribute to metabolic health And results based on animal models may not apply to peopleldquoWe have improved weight gain in mice but I have no idea if this is actually true in humansrdquo Round saidBut the researchers remain hopeful that Turicibacter could provide a starting point for developing treatments that promote healthy metabolism and prevent excessive weight gainTuricibacter appears to improve metabolic health by affecting how the host produces a fatty molecule called ceramides the researchers foundCeramide levels increase on a highfat diet and high levels of ceramides are associated with many metabolic disorders including type 2 diabetes and heart disease But the fats produced by Turicibacter can keep ceramide levels low even for mice on a highfat dietldquoWith further investigation of individual microbes we will be able to make microbes into medicine and find bacteria that are safe to create a consortium of different bugs that people with different diseases might be lackingrdquo said first author Kendra Klag from the varsityThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever