People often feel like they have difficulty losing weight where others have it easy. There are many known and unknown causes of this. Something others do not think about much? GUT BACTERIA. Human guts are full of bugs(about 100 trillion bacteria in fact) that HELP digestion and also stop disease-causing counterparts from invading.1 Sounds great right? Only one problem. In the past, when food was in limited supply, these bacteria would have been valuable allies! Times have changed and we have access to food practically everywhere.1 Now some types are working against keeping us healthy.
Those who are overweight/obese have different gut bacteria MAKE-UPS than their lean counterparts. They tend to have an abundance of bacteria known as Firmicutes while leaner individuals have Bacteroidetes. A study done on mice showed that when bacteria from an obese human were transferred to a lean mouse it would become fat; when bacteria from a thin sibling were introduced into lean mice, the mice stayed lean.2 Obviously, this would be something to try… However, I’m not sure of the possibilities of that at this point. Finding willing volunteers to have someone else’s bacteria transplanted into their own intestines is difficult.1 Instead Peter Turnbaugh and his colleagues have created a halfway house by having mice with humanized gut flora. Not everything in mice can be directly transferred to humans though but it is leading to more investigations.1
Some solutions?
The good news is that you can reset your gut bacteria, swapping bad flora for good.
1 - Gut bacteria transplantation.
2 - "To have a healthy gut, one must avoid eating foods that foster the growth of bacteria that create unhealthy metabolites." We all know what those are. “Bad” fatty foods, ie, fast foods, high amounts of sugary foods, processed foods etc… These only encourage bad bacteria growth. They THRIVE off of it.1
3 - Cultivate healthful microflora. Keep and grow the good while killing the bad. Use antibiotics only when needed as they can destabilize your bacteria. This can lead to yeast infections, skin rashes and allergic reactions. 2 Eat food containing probiotics such as fermented food, yogurt with bifidobacteria in it (this especially will cause an environment where harmful bacteria cannot thrive), food with prebiotics such as whole grains, onions, garlic, leeks, artichokes, asparagus and chicory root (this also lowers fat storage). 2
4 - Stress Control. Easier said than done, I know, but studies have shown that stress leads to keeping on the fat. It even alters the function of the immune system. 2 Try methods that work for you. Take a bath, meditate, dedicate a day to just yourself! Brush off the little things.
This should not be used as an excuse but as helpful knowledge of possible changes. Diet and exercise, even if they seem to not work, are helping you. Contrary to popular belief, you can be fat and still fit, but that’s a whole other topic.
References
[1] Economist. (2009, Nov14). Science andtechnology: Holy shit!; gut bacteria and obesity.The Economist, 393, 98.Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/223979211?accountid=8289[2] Stewart, Martha.(2014, June 18). 4 Habits for a Healthy Gut. CNN Health. Retrieved from: http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/18/health/good-gut-bacteria/
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