Researchers have identified a gut bacterium, Turicibacter, that improves metabolic health and reduces weight gain in mice fed a high-fat diet. The findings were published in Cell Metabolism.
Earlier work by the team showed a group of about 100 bacteria could prevent weight gain in mice. Finding a single important microbe was difficult because many gut bacteria die quickly outside the gut. After years of culturing individual microbes, first author Kendra Klag found that one rod-shaped bacterium, Turicibacter, lowered blood sugar and blood fat and limited weight gain in mice on a high-fat diet.
Turicibacter appears to make many fatty molecules that the small intestine absorbs. Adding purified Turicibacter fats to a high-fat diet produced the same weight-controlling effects. The bacterium also affects how the host makes ceramides, which rise on a high-fat diet and are linked to metabolic disorders. The team found a feedback loop: high dietary fat inhibits Turicibacter growth, so the bacterium can be lost unless the diet is supplemented. The researchers caution that mouse results may not apply directly to humans and plan further work to identify active lipids and test therapies.
Difficult words
- bacterium — single microscopic organism found in the body
- metabolic — connected with chemical processes in the body
- culture — grow microorganisms in a lab for studyculturing
- purify — remove unwanted parts to make something cleanpurified
- ceramide — type of fat-like molecule in cellsceramides
- feedback loop — process where result affects the original cause
- inhibit — to slow down or prevent activityinhibits
- lipid — general name for fats and fat moleculeslipids
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Discussion questions
- Would you consider changing your diet to help beneficial gut bacteria? Why or why not?
- What do you see as possible benefits or risks of using bacterial fats as a therapy?
- What further research would you want before trying a treatment based on these mouse findings in humans?
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