A certain kind of intestinal bacteria may be partly responsible for obesity and a group of other health conditions, according to a new study.
Previous research suggests that bacteria can influence how well energy is absorbed from food, but the latest findings indicate that certain intestinal bacteria can actually influence appetite, according to lead researcher Andrew Gerwitz at Emory University. In other words, these microbiota – or gut bugs – in the intestines could make you hungry.
According to the study, recently published online in Science Express, certain bacteria can stimulate inflammation in the body, which can lead to insulin resistance and overeating. And, it seems those bacteria can be passed on to future generations.
Researchers found that baby mice born to mothers lacking a specific protein that have these bacteria in their intestines developed the same micro-organisms, even if their embryos were transferred into surrogate mothers.
These mice were more vulnerable to developing metabolic syndrome, a group of symptoms including high cholesterol levels, abdominal obesity, high blood pressure and insulin resistance.
