How Gut Bacteria Can Make You Fat Or Help You Lose Weight

In 2011 the World Health Organization announced that one quarter of the world’s population was overweight. We all know that all sorts of health risks come from being obese, and we know of people trying hard to lose weight, but with little success. Now, scientists are discovering a new approach to dieting, which actually involves eating – but eating the right things that make our gut a happy place.
From the moment of passing through the birth canal, we start accumulating microbes and building our gut flora. Soon, our microbiome has at least 150 times more genes than our human genome. Proportionally speaking, we become 90% microbes and 10% human. So our microbiota – which is the collective name for the microbes dwelling in our gut – is bound to hold some keys to explaining our health and existence. An article published in Neurogatroenterology & Motility describes the human microbiota as a super organism, vital to normal health. The authors call for more research into the impact of diet and dietary changes in the short- and long term on the microbiota.
In order to be healthy, you need to have balanced gut bacteria. Now, the new research also shows that in order to be lean, you need to have things sorted in your gut first. This makes sense when you think about the importance of gut bacteria in food digestion and absorption. The probiotics, or good bacteria, also maintain a well-functioning immune system. Obesity is often associated with a low-grade continuous inflammation in the body, so the state of the immune system is of paramount importance to prevent this from happening. The ratio between the good and bad bacteria in the body should be 85:15. If not, digestion and immunity will suffer.
Researchers from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China studied the digestive tract of a morbidly obese person. They observed that 35% of the volunteer’s gut flora constituted of Enterobacter, which is an endotoxin producing bacteria. When the study participant lost a significant amount of weight, Enterobacter became non-detectable in his digestive tract. Increased endotoxin load had previously been associated with obesity, and when Lipopolysaccharide endotoxin was infused into mice, it caused obesity and insulin resistance.

Another study published in 2010 in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that participants who were drinking fermented milk containing the Lactobacillus strain of bacteria, started losing abdominal and subcutaneous fat (fatty tissue lying directly under the skin layers).
To regain your intestinal balance, you need to eat a healthy and balanced diet, and avoid different bad influences, such as pollution, stress, and unnecessary use of antibiotics ( you can find here 13 powerful antibiotics that don’t require a prescription). In terms of food, the emphasis needs to be on raw vegetables and fruits (known as prebiotics), and on eating and drinking plenty of probiotics (kombucha, keffir, natural yoghurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, apple cider vinegar – all fermented foods that you can read more about here). And stay away from refined sugars and processed foods. If you combine all of the above, you should be able to bring your gut flora back into balance, and lose weight quickly and in a sustainable way.
By Jenny Hills
http://www.healthyandnaturalworld.com/gut-bacteria-and-weight-loss/