September 5, 2023 — When an idea captures the imagination, it can become something like an ink stain. Tough to alter. One such idea that captured our imagination is the idea that gut microbiota might be a causal factor in obesity. But a new review in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B suggests rethinking this idea. Matthew Dalby […]
December 3, 2021 — A new study in Gastroenterology is adding fuel to the fire of doubts about emulsifiers in processed foods. A diverse group of researchers conducted an RCT of a diet enriched with an emulsifier called carboxymethylcellulose. CMC and cellulose gum are two other names for this ingredient. Nine subjects received the control diet with no emulsifiers […]
September 23, 2019 — A new study in Cell Metabolism tells us that gut bacteria might play a role in the development of fatty liver disease. Jing Yuan and colleagues found that a strain of Klebsiella can cause fatty liver disease in mice. In addition, they found a correlation between the presence of these bacteria in humans and fatty […]
July 2, 2019 — Beware of pilot studies. However, we have a fascinating one for you. Nature Medicine published this study yesterday. It’s a randomized, controlled trial of 32 subjects in three arms. Clara Depommier and colleagues found that a daily supplement of pasteurized bacteria (Akkermansia muciniphila) could improve some of the markers of metabolic syndrome. Specifically, they saw […]
October 26, 2018 — At the age of 2, it’s not especially obvious if a child will have obesity later in life. But a new study, published in mBio, suggests that the microbes in a child’s gut at age 2 might offer some pretty good clues. Microbiota Explaining More Than Half of BMI Scores Maggie Stanislawski and colleagues analyzed data […]
October 29, 2016 — ObesityWeek offers a perfect opportunity to chase down hot topics. And one of the hottest in obesity over the past decade has been the link (look out!) between our bugs and guts and obesity. In a session chaired by Obesity Society President Penny Gordon-Larsen, top researchers on the microbiome will give us a thoughtful update on this […]
December 2, 2014 — We could see this one coming. Endocrinologists from the University of Minnesota announced last week that they are on track to begin enrolling patients in March for a controlled trial of stool transplants to prevent diabetes. This will be a small, proof-of-principle study with just 20 subjects. Half will get a fecal transplant from donors with healthy […]
October 18, 2014 — Who can resist a story about jet-lagged mice? It’s especially intriguing because those cute little travelers are feeding headlines about how jet lag causes obesity. Those headlines about jet-lagged mice and jet-lag causing obesity all come from a new publication in Cell that’s really about the effect of a disrupted sleep cycle on gut microbes. Jet travel actually has very little to […]
September 19, 2014 — We’re getting a series of headlines this week about saccharin and other low-calorie sweeteners, declaring: “Zero-Calorie Sweeteners Can Raise Blood Sugar” “Artificial Sweeteners May Lead to Diabetes” “Artificial Sweeteners Could Cause Spikes in Blood Sugar” “Low-calorie Sweeteners Found in Diet Drinks RAISE the Risk of Obesity and Diabetes” What is this ground-breaking research that has […]
August 16, 2014 — An elegant study of bugs, drugs, and obesity in mice suggests antibiotics early in life can the stage for obesity. It could be that the use of antibiotics in young children — much of which is widely acknowledged to be unnecessary — can cause considerable harm later in life. Professor Jodi Lindsay of St. George’s […]
