Gut bacteria may be the trick for weight loss

For the longest time, I used to think that my overweight friends and family who told me that they were following to a strict diet and exercise regime but could not lose weight were just lying and being lazy…well, they may have been right…

Early studies on the effects of gut bacteria for weight loss, suggest that some people may have specific activities of gut bacteria that do not allow them to lose weight, even when following a strict exercise and diet program.

A preliminary study published in the August issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings suggests that, for some people, specific activities of gut bacteria may be responsible for their inability to lose weight, despite adherence to strict diet and exercise regimens.

Dr. Purna Kashyap, M.B.B.S. a gastroenterologist from the Mayo Clinic and co-senior author of the study said “We know that some people don’t lose weight as effectively as others, despite reducing caloric consumption and increasing physical activity”, and this lead to him and his team asking themselves if there are other factors that prevent people from responding to normal weight-loss strategies.

Dr. Vandana Nehra, M.D, another gastroenterologist from the Mayo Clinic and co-senior author of the study said “Gut bacteria have the capacity to break down complex food particles, which provides us with additional energy. And this is normally good for us. However, for some individuals trying to lose weight, this process may become a hindrance.” So Dr. Kashyap, Dr. Nehra and their team sought to test the possibility that certain gut bacteria may provide people with more energy and therefore be responsible for the inability for some people to lose weight.

The study analysed the gut bacteria of 26 participants who were part of the Mayo Clinic Obesity Treatment Research Program and found that patients who did not lose weight did in fact have different gut bacteria to those who did lose weight in the program.

They found two types of gut bacteria specifically important in weight loss:

Phascolarctobacterium: was associated with weight loss success

Phascolarctobacterium is a genus of bacteria that are non-motile, Gram-negative rods that grow in chains. They are found in soil, water and the stomachs of animals. Some species are pathogenic to humans and animals, while other species are beneficial.

Phascolarctobacterium is a genus of bacteria that aid in weight loss through improved metabolism. This genus has been shown to increase energy expenditure and fat oxidation in obese mice by increasing lipolysis and decreasing lipogenesis. Further research has also shown that this genus can protect against diet-induced obesity (DIO) by inhibiting adipogenesis and reducing body weight gain in mice.

In addition to aiding in weight loss, this genus has been shown to have several other benefits for humans as well as animals. For example, one species found in cows' milk was shown to reduce intestinal inflammation and diarrhea caused by E. coli infection. Another study showed that another species from cows' milk could suppress inflammatory responses caused by LPS as well as increase IL-10 production.

Dialister: was associated with failure to lose weight

Dialister has a number of benefits that can help you lose weight, including:

Boosts Metabolism: Dialister’s main ingredient, garcinia cambogia, is known for its ability to boost metabolism and burn fat. Since the body stores fat as an energy source when it’s not getting enough food, garcinia cambogia helps burn off existing fat cells. This results in faster weight loss and a slimmer waistline.

Suppresses Appetite: Dialister also suppresses appetite by increasing serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that controls mood and appetite; when levels are low, you may feel hungry all the time or depressed, which leads to emotional eating. By increasing serotonin levels, Dialister helps control food cravings so you eat less without feeling deprived or hungry due to the lack of food intake.

Boosts Energy Levels: Garcinia cambogia increases energy levels by increasing nitric oxide production in the body. Nitric oxide helps widen blood vessels so more oxygen can get to your muscles during intense exercise sessions such as cardio workouts or resistance training workouts (weight lifting).

They were also able to discover that failure to lose weight was associated with the ability to use specific carbohydrates. “This suggested to us that gut bacteria may possibly be an important determinant of weight loss in response to diet and lifestyle changes,” Dr. Kashyap says.

Although Dr. Kashyap does mention that this is an early finding in a relatively small study, and more research is needed, it is a very interesting notion that our gut (our second brain) can have such power over our metabolism. “While we need to replicate these findings in a bigger study, we now have an important direction to pursue in terms of potentially providing more individualized strategies for people who struggle with obesity,” Dr. Kashyap says.

David A. Muñiz Pedrogo, Michael D. Jensen, Carol T. Van Dyke, Joseph A. Murray, Jeffrey A. Woods, Jun Chen, Purna C. Kashyap, Vandana Nehra. Gut Microbial Carbohydrate Metabolism Hinders Weight Loss in Overweight Adults Undergoing Lifestyle Intervention With a Volumetric Diet. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2018; 93 (8): 1104 DOI: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2018.02.019