This article is original to the Translational Medicine Network. Please indicate the source when reprinting.
Author: Lily
Introduction : Some people do not gain weight just by eating, while some people seem to gain weight just by looking at delicious food. Recently, a new study conducted by the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Physical Education at the University of Copenhagen revealed the possible reasons behind this "unfair" phenomenon - which may be related to the different composition of people's gut microbiota. That is, the ability of intestinal microorganisms to obtain energy from food is different between different individuals; This study observed that the shorter the "travel time" of food in the intestines, subjects with type B (Bacteroidetes-dominated) enterotype had a heavier weight and had relatively less residual energy in their feces. These findings may provide inspiration for the development of personalized nutrition and weight loss strategies.
This study was published in Microbiome, the authoritative British microbiology journal, on December 12. A total of 85 Danish subjects (53 women, 32 men, aged between 22-66 years old, median age was 52 years old) were included. These subjects all showed increased metabolic risk before the trial and had participated in two human intervention studies conducted by the Gut, Grain and Greens (3G) Center. 85 subjects presented with obesity: body mass index (BMI) 25 to 35 and increased waist circumference (≥94 cm in men and ≥80 cm in women). In addition, they meet at least one of the following criteria: non-diabetic dysglycemia, dyslipidemia or hypertension .
https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40168-022-01418-5
Type B - an efficient "food nutrient extractor"
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This study shows that being overweight may not only be related to a person's healthy diet or amount of exercise, but also to the composition of a person's gut microbiota. In the study, the subjects' gut microbial composition was divided into three categories based on the presence and abundance of the three major groups of bacteria that most people possess: type B (dominated by Bacteroides , n=35), type R (dominated by Ruminococcaceae, n=16), and type P (dominated by Prevotella, n=34). Among them, type B intestinal microbiome subjects (accounting for 40% of the total) were found to be the most efficient "food nutrient extractors". The bacterial (microbial) diversity in their intestines is lower, and the "travel time" of food in their digestive tracts is shorter; of course, type B people have less residual energy in their feces.
This study proposes a gut microbiota-dependent energy intake model for humans.
Based on this, the researchers suspect that some people may be at a disadvantage because their gut bacteria are too efficient at extracting energy from food. This effectiveness may cause the human host to obtain more calories from the same amount of food.
The corresponding author of the paper is Henrik from the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Exercise at the University of Copenhagen. Associate Professor Roager said: "Our gut bacteria are good at extracting energy from food, which is basically a good thing - because the metabolism of food by bacteria provides us with additional energy (such as short-chain fatty acids); short-chain fatty acids are molecules that our bodies can use as fuel for our energy supply. But if we consume more than our bodies can burn, the extra energy provided by gut bacteria may increase the risk of obesity over time."
Longer "travel time" in the digestive tract is not necessarily a good thing
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From the mouth to the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, small intestine , large intestine , and finally to the rectum, the food we ingest takes 12 to 36 hours to journey, passing through several stations along the way until the body absorbs all the nutrients in the food. Before the study, researchers hypothesized that people with longer "travel times" in their digestive tracts would get the most nutrients from their food. But the findings of this study are exactly the opposite of what was expected.
Associate Professor Henrik Roager said: "Here we saw that subjects with type B gut bacteria extracted the most energy from food and also had the fastest gastrointestinal 'travel time'. This gave us something to think about."
About Gut Bacteria
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* Everyone has a unique composition of gut bacteria - determined by genetics, environment, lifestyle and diet.
* The collection of gut bacteria, called the gut microbiome, is like an entire galaxy in our gut; there can be up to 100 billion gut bacteria per gram of feces.
* Intestinal bacteria in the colon are used to break down the parts of food that our body's digestive enzymes cannot break down, such as dietary fiber *. Humans can be divided into three groups based on the presence and abundance of three major groups of bacteria that most of us have: Type B (Bacteroidetes), Type R (Ruminococcaceae), and Type P (Prevotella).
Reference:
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20221225/When-it-comes-to-harvesting-energy-some-guts-do-it-better-than-othe rs.aspx
https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40168-022-01418-5
Note: This article is intended to introduce the progress of medical research and cannot be used as a reference for treatment plans. If you need health guidance, please go to a regular hospital.
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