Your Gut Bacteria May Predict Your Obesity Risk

Bacteria in people's digestive systems -- gut germs -- seem to affect whether they become overweight or obese, and new research sheds more light on why that might be. The findings, from an international team of scientists, also suggest that a diet heavy in fiber could change the makeup of these germs, possibly making it easier for people to shed pounds. "We know gut bacteria affect health and obesity, but we don't know exactly how," said Dusko Ehrlich, a co-author of the two new studies and coordinator of the International Human Microbiome Standards project. The research finds that "people who put on the most weight lack certain bacterial species or have them at very low levels. This opens ways to develop bacterial therapies to fight weight gain," he said. Experts believe the gut, where the body processes food, is crucial to weight gain and weight loss. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_140159.html