Feel free to discuss any topic of general interest, so long as nothing you post here is likely to be interpreted as insulting, and/or inflammatory, nor clearly designed to provoke any individual or group. Please be considerate of others feelings, and they will be considerate of yours.
I ran across a very interesting article relating weight gain to an imbalance of the gut bacteria
Researchers in Shanghai identified a human bacteria linked with obesity, fed it to mice and compared their weight gain with rodents without the bacteria. The latter did not become obese despite being fed a high-fat diet and being prevented from exercising.
The bacterium – known as enterobacter – encourages the body to make and store fat, and prevents it from being used, by deregulating the body’s metabolism-controlling genes.
Enterobacter-induced obese mice showed increased serum endotoxin load and aggravated inflammatory conditions. The obesity-inducing capacity of this human-derived endotoxin producer in gnotobiotic mice suggests that it may causatively contribute to the development of obesity in its human host.
A decreased abundance of endotoxin biosynthetic genes in the gut of the volunteer was correlated with a decreased circulating endotoxin load and alleviated inflammation.
The study also discusses a trial where an obese patient with a known enterobacter infection was treated with a combination of diet and probiotics. After 23 weeks the patient lost 35% of his body weight.
So why doesn't taking a broad-spectrum antibiotic cause people to lose weight?
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
You would think so Tex, I have been reading a bit about this tonight and it seems that this organism is hard to fully eliminate in the gut and would take a long period of antibiotic therapy and I'm guessing most of the normally prescribed courses would not be long enough. I would think this would also encourage the formation of antibiotic resistant strains making this problem even more prevalent in the population.
Sounds like we may be stuck with them, for better or for worse.
Actually, I can see a possible silver lining to this. If my doc nags me about eating too much, all I have to do is point out that, "Hey, it ain't me — it's these dang bacteria in my gut. Talk to them".
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
A question Tex, is there a way that a type of probiotic therapy would help eliminate this pathogen? The article mentions changing the gut Ph level, but I would imagine that being problematic.
I have no idea, but I suspect that it would probably be extremely difficult to locate a probiotic strain that just happened to be capable of out-competing the enterobacter strain in question, if they were well-established (which they logically should be). Most probiotic bacteria are pretty feeble by the time they get past the stomach, and into the gut, and trying to take territory away from established colonies would be similar to trying to attack a fort with a sling shot.
Some of the E. coli strains, or C. diff, or C. botulinum might be able to do it, but that would be like burning the barn down to get rid of the rats. Most beneficial probiotic strains are pretty mild mannered, by comparison.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Hi, Bacterias create a biofilm that protect them from antibiotics. Antibiotics are effective when the bacterias leave the protection of the biofilm. Biofilms can be broken down by a couple of enzymes. But it has to done be slowly because when the flim is broken down it releases all of the bacteria and could cause a serious health issue. I bought a bottle of the enzymes but never took them. After reading the research reports about the enzyme and one of the side effects could be a severe lung infection. However, this enzyme is used outside the United States. Jon
