Certain types of bacteria that naturally reside in the intestine may be causing an increased appetite that promotes obesity as well as other unhealthy symptoms linked to being overweight. According to a report recently published in the journal Science, certain types of bacteria in the gut cause inflammation that can affect appetite and also lead to inflammatory bowel conditions such as colitis and Crohnrsquo;s disease. Senior study author Andrew Gewirtz, an associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, explained, ldquo;Previous research has suggested that bacteria can influence how well energy is absorbed from food, but these findings demonstrate that intestinal bacteria can actually influence appetite.rdquo; Generally speaking, these germs in the gut make you overeat. The chance discovery was made by Gewirtz and his research team while conducting a study on mice having colitis to substantiate a suspicion that the colitis is caused by a type of germ. Bacteria and other micro-organisms have been found to settle into baby mice closely following birth, which endure in both the skin and bowels throughout their lifetime. Because these organisms are very similar to those found in their own mothers, the researchers transferred mice embryos to surrogate mothers to prevent possible infection by the biological mothers. Although the babies of the surrogate mothers showed improvement in the colitis, they grew to be obese and developed a group of symptoms collectively known as metabolic syndrome that are often a precursor of heart disease and diabetes. These symptoms include harmful cholesterol levels, too much belly fat, high blood pressure, and insulin resistance, a condition in which the body is unable to effectively to break down food. Regarding the findings, Gewirtz said, ldquo;It has been assumed that the obesity epidemic in the developed world is driven by an increasingly sedentary lifestyle and the abundance of low-cost, high-calorie foods. However, our results suggest that excess caloric consumption is not only a result of undisciplined eating but that intestinal bacteria contribute to changes in appetite and metabolism.rdquo; He also pointed out that the research suggests that the bacteria may be flourishing due to factors of modern life such as access to clean water, and the use of antibiotics which has caused competing organisms to be totally eliminated.
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