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Gut bacteria may be capable to " spread " obesity from one being to another when they are transplanted , at least in computer mouse , a new study suggests .

In the study , mice that had been raised in a unimaginative environment , so that they lackedgut bacterium , were transplanted with bowel bacteria from either a lean person or an obese person . The investigator used bowel bacterium from pairs of human twins , one of whom was lean and one who was obese .

artist rendering of bacteria

Bacteria

mouse that receive bacteria from an obese twin gained more weight and fat than those that received bacteria from a lean twin , according to the study published today ( Sept. 5 ) in the journal Science . [ 5 shipway Gut Bacteria Affect Your wellness ]

What ’s more , the graft altered the metabolism of the mice : animals that received gut bacterium from an obese person had changes in their metabolic process that have been linked with obesity in human race ( such as increase production of compound call branched - chain amino acids ) . Those that receive gut bacteria from a skimpy individual had change associate with weight departure ( such as increased breakdown of sugar ) .

The findings add together to a growing body of inquiry suggesting thatgut bacteria may influence weightiness . Recently , studies have found that corpulent citizenry have a less diverseness in their gut flora than be given people .

a close-up of fat cells under a microscope

However , because the young study was done in mouse , it ’s not cleared if the same result would occur in masses .

In a 2nd part of the cogitation , the research worker put the mice together – they housed mice that received intestine bacteria from a lean soul along with black eye that received bacteria from an obese person .

About 10 days later , mice with the " obese " bacterium underwent changes in metabolism thatprotect against obesity . This transformation occur because bacterium were being " share " between the mice ( mice that live together may consume each other ’s ordure ) . A 2012 survey in mice had a similar finding , suggesting thatobesity could be infectious .

An electron microscope image showing myelin insulating nerve fibers

However , when the researchers repeated their caparison experiment , but feed the mice a Westernized diet ( high in fat and low in fibre ) instead of their common diet , the fleshiness protection was no longer transfer .

This suggests that the ability ofgut bacteriato confer auspices against obesity may , in part , depend on dieting .

Researchers may demand to take this into news report when developingprobiotic therapies(or treatments with " skilful bacterium " ) for obesity .

An illustration of microbiota in the gut

" It may be that future microbiota - base therapy for an rotund individual will take an modification in diet to aid colonization by good microbes , " Alan Walker and Julian Parkhill , of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in the United Kingdom , wrote in an editorial accompanying the study .

next subject area will need to figure out more just which bacterium are creditworthy for obesity security , and whether those bacteria can be used in anti - obesity therapies .

An illustration of bacteria in the gut

Pseudomonas aeruginosa as seen underneath a microscope.

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An obese man has his waistline measured.

A map of U.S. obesity rates by state in 2016.

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