Interesting research on microorganisms contributing to obesity. Bugs in our guts!!

New York Times-August 13, 2006

Excerpts

"If microbes do turn out to be relevant, at least in some cases of obesity, it could change the way the public thinks about being fat."

"I wanted to find out everything Gordon knows about the bugs in our guts, and how those bugs might contribute to human physiology — in particular, how they might make some people fat. "

..........

Gordon first began studying the connection between the microflora and obesity when he saw what happened to mice without any microbes at all. These germ-free mice, reared in sterile isolators in Gordon’s lab, had 60 percent less fat than ordinary mice. Although they ate voraciously, usually about 30 percent more food than the others, they stayed lean. Without gut microbes, they were unable to extract calories from some of the types of food they ate, which passed through their bodies without being either used or converted to fat.

...........Gordon likes to explain his hypothesis of what gut microbes do by talking about Cheerios. The Cereal box says that a one-cup serving contains 110 calories. But it may be that not everyone will extract 110 calories from a cup of Cheerios. Some may extract more, some less, depending on the particular combination of microbes in their guts. “A diet has a certain amount of absolute energy,” he said. “But the amount that can be extracted from that diet may vary between individuals — not in a huge way, but if the energy balance is affected by just a few calories a day, over time that can make a big difference in body weight.”

Article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/13/magazine/13obesity.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5088&en=f843a5b06faa63f8&ex=1313121600&adxnnl=0&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1157418486-4z6r0JgpR1tVLqEl1NLjlg

I read this article and found it interesting. I think he may be on to something. Look at ulcers. The part about the controlled weight loss was extremely interesting to me. I am a slow loser.

I've always thought that my body took every calorie possible from food. And this makes sense. For our past of feast or famine it would be a good thing, but not so good for these days of feasts.

Well, my obesity is caused by a tumor, so why not bacteria for others?