Their gut bacteria may predict your risk of obesity.

By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay reporter

Wednesday, 28 Aug. HealthDay News)-bacteria in people's digestive systems-intestinal germs-seem to influence whether overweight or obese to be, and new research illuminates further why this could be.

The findings of an international team of scientists suggest that a heavy diet could change the composition of this germ rich in fiber, may facilitate people to shed pounds.

"We know health intestinal bacteria and obesity affect, but we don't exactly know how," said Dusko Ehrlich, co-author of two new studies, and coordinator of the project International Human Microbiome standards.

The research notes that "people who put on the most weight no certain bacterial species or they have at a very low level. This opens up possibilities to fight weight gain to develop bacterial therapies, '' he said.

Experts believe that it is crucial to the abdomen, where the body processes food for weight loss and weight gain.

"It is now known that bacteria in our intestines is a key in our health and well-being, may be just as important as our own immune response and proper nutrition role", said Jeffrey Cirillo, Professor at the Texas A & M Health Science Center Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology. "This means that foods that grow only certain bacteria help errors of the bacteria in our intestines by using antibiotics or food can have impact on our entire body."

A study, published in March of this year in the journal Science translational medicine suggested that gastric bypass surgery for weight loss-at M?usen--led, because it alters the composition of bacteria in their intestines.

In one of the new studies, to be published in the Aug. 29 issue of the journal nature, researchers analyzed the intestinal bacterium 169 Danish were not obese overweight and 123 Danish people.

The intestinal bacteria in the obese people were less diverse than the others, and had other anomalies relating to the metabolism. Obese people with a less diverse range of germs gained more weight.

It is not clear how the bacteria and obesity are connected. But the investigations have shown that the metabolism of the bacteria itself, are connected on the entire metabolism in humans, where they live, said Cirillo.

Find also a practical application might have, the researchers said.

"The study lays ground for a simple test that people should say, what is your risk for the development of obesity-linked diseases" study co author, what said Ehrlich. If they are, he said, may require diet modifications.

In a second study, researchers gut bacteria than 49 overweight and obese people monitors trying to take off with diets, the low-fat and low-calorie but high in protein plus fiber-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables were. The diet actually seemed the bacterial makeup in the courage of the participants change.

"Although this relatively early and small studies on this topic are, they show that the management of the own diets can improve the wealth of flora in our courage and our chances of becoming obese, to reduce", Cirillo said. "This does not mean that changes in the diet of all people be effective or they can avoid that no matter how much someone eats obesity, but that they can help the situation."

Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Sources: Dusko Ehrlich, Ph.d., Coordinator, International Human Microbiome standards project, INRA, Paris; Jeffrey Cirillo, Ph.d., Professor, Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A & M Health Science Center, Bryan, Texas; 29 August 2013, nature