Intestinal Bacteria Could Determine the Underlying Cause of Metabolic Disorders
News | Christine Dionese L.Ac | March 10, 2010 at 9:23 pmThe tiny micro-flora living in the intestines show promise in managing obesity and certain metabolic disorders. What functional medical experts have been discussing for over a decade is now being realized with well-funded studies aimed at understanding human microbiota. Researchers recently discovered that the presence of particular intestinal microbiota strains directly relate to the incidence of insulin resistance and diabetes. This is quite a monumental discovery considering that popular research has always correlated genetic predisposition, food choices, and lifestyle as the key determining factors in obesity. These findings suggest that the bacterial cells living within us could could be the underlying cause of many immune-related illnesses. (Via Scientifc American)
Tags: diabetes, gastrointestinal health, immunity, obesity, probiotics
It’s mentioned in the article, that “Inflammation can change the character of the gut microbes, in some cases allowing more calories to be extracted from food. But, Gewirtz says, “We do not know which is coming first” if inflammation is changing the microbiota or vice versa.”
I think the same applies to correlation between insulin resistance and these particular intestinal microbiota strains you mentioned. We can assume these two have something to do with each other, but not necessary which is the cause and which is the effect.
Gewirtz is pondering whether or not inflammation changes the microbiota, or a change in the microbiota leads to inflammation. There may very well however be something completely different happening in the body, which causes both of these two.
In a similar way, when talking about insulin resistance and obesity, these “food and lifestyle choices” may still be the root cause for a change in the microbiota, with insulin resistance being a secondary effect.
//sami