Obesity Linked to Probiotic Imbalance

The human microbiome can be explained as the quantity and characteristics of the various species of bacteria for which humans are a host. Most of these have no effect on us, but some are absolutely essential in order for us to enjoy proper health–as in the case of our probiotic population.

Located in the digestive tract, these beneficial bacteria are absolutely essential for proper growth and development, immune function and, ultimately, nutritional status. Proper absorption and use of nutrients begins with these microorganisms, and research indicates that significant differences have been identified in the probiotic states of lean individuals as compared with those who are identified as obese.

In 2006, researchers at Washington University observed that weight loss in obese patients was accompanied by a corresponding shift in probiotic population. The type that was dominant at the outset produced greater caloric extraction from food; as the study progressed, this population slowly shifted in favor of a different species that extracted less.

In more recent studies, attempts have been made to outline computational “maps” that can advance these findings when used to measure and compare microbial populations in obese and lean individuals. To date,  these maps do seem to confirm that “lean and obese microbiomes differ primarily in their interface with the host and in the way they interact with host metabolism.” In other words, when different species of probiotics are dominant in the digestive system, differences in metabolism can be reasonably expected.

Although it is difficult to determine whether the probiotic population shift occurs before, during or after the weight loss, it has been established in at least one study that the addition of probiotics to the diet is linked to a reduction in both Body Mass Index and abdominal fat. In this case, it appears cause and effect are very closely connected, and that anyone taking a comprehensive approach to weight loss would find probiotic supplementation worth investigating.