Changes to the microbial community in the gut could contribute to weight loss, suggests a study of gastric bypass patients.
Obesity is a problem of epidemic proportions in the world. According to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) data, 13% of adults worldwide now have obesity. In the United States, that proportion rises to more than 40%.
Obesity is associated with a raft of physical ailments, including diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer. There are also possible mental health effects relating to loss of mobility and, in some cases, social isolation and a reduced ability to work.
Now, a new study that researchers at Arizona State University led looks at the role of the microbiome — the community of bacteria living in or on the body — in obesity.
Bacteria are critical for a range of essential bodily functions, including regulating metabolism. Bacteria in the gut produce metabolites, some of which play a role in breaking down food, potentially helping control body weight.
Research has shown that people with obesity have a lower diversity of microbes in their gut. The microbiome, therefore, seems to be a factor in determining who does and does not have obesity.
For people who are unable to lose weight through diet and exercise alone and whose health is at risk due to their weight, surgical options are available.
One of these measures, gastric bypass surgery (also known as Roux-en-Y surgery), also changes the composition of bacteria in the gut.
With this knowledge in hand, the researchers behind the new study investigated how and when the microbiome changes after gastric bypass surgery, and what this means for how people break down the foods that they consume.
The researchers characterized the microbial communities in nine people with severe obesity before their gastric bypass surgery, as well as 6 months and a year after the procedure.
In addition to comparing the microbial communities across these time points, the researchers also compared t