A study led by the Seattle Institute of Systems Biology showed that the composition of gut bacteria may affect an individual’s ability to lose weight.
According to the report, the results are “preliminary”, Published today In mSystems magazine. However, the results of studies that examine human gut bacteria before starting a health program may lead to new ways to predict weight loss.
“If I know what your microbiome looks like, I can tell you if you might respond to moderate lifestyle interventions,” lead author Sean Gibbons, assistant professor at ISB, told GeekWire in an interview. These findings may also lead to ways to promote weight loss by manipulating the gut microbiome (the collection of bacteria in the gut).
The study examined the gut microbiome of people participating in the health plan as part of the health company Arivale, an ISB spin-off company that collapsed in 2019. Participants sent a stool sample to the company as part of a physical examination, which included measures such as blood metabolites.
The researchers examined the microbiomes of 25 participants in deep molecular details, and calculated the types of bacterial genes present in the samples through DNA sequencing. Fifteen of these people lost weight in Arivale’s health plan, while the rest maintained a stable weight.
Researchers found that people who lose weight start with different gut composition. Their microbiome is rich in bacterial genes that transfer dietary nutrients to microorganisms and promote their growth.This bacteria also grows faster, including one called Prevoterra.
The microbiome of people who have not lost weight is rich in bacterial genes that convert fiber into absorbable sugars. The growth rate of their bacteria is also slower.
The results of the study showed that the microbiome of dieters is full of fast-growing, energy-consuming bacteria, and they are ready to help them lose weight even before they start a health plan. Their gut bacteria may be more likely to outperform the body in obtaining energy-rich nutrients, thereby reducing the calorie input to the body.
If these findings hold up in larger studies, they may lead to new ways to predict weight loss by measuring the microbiome.
The results of the study are also in line with previous studies, showing that Prevoterra Bacteria are related to weight loss. They are part of the emerging scientific picture that the gut microbiota plays an important role in health and influencing weight.
With the emergence of new research, scientists may develop targeted methods that use specific probiotics or other methods to transform intestinal components into a state of weight loss preparation.
Gibbons said: “There may be areas where the microbiome can be designed to respond to weight loss.” “But there will be more in the future.”
He pointed out that his research is compelling because it shows that the composition of the microbiome associated with weight loss is independent of the initial BMI, body mass index, obesity and overweight measures. People with higher BMI tend to lose weight faster at first, and their microbiome may have a different composition, which will affect the conclusions of microbiome research.
The new data also shows that intestinal composition has a stronger correlation with weight loss compared to other body measurements (including baseline diet and blood metabolites).
One of the contributing authors, Nathan Road Price, Now the CEO vitalityIn addition to being an ISB professor, he is also one of several lifestyle companies that analyze the microbiome.
When asked if Onegevity will use this data for any of its products, Gibbons said: “I’m not sure, I know they are interested in these things. So something like this might happen.”
Other institutions participating in the research include the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine in Redlands, California, the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Washington, and Electronic Science Research Institute, Focusing on data science.