A stomach acid pill made of gut bacteria may decrease risk for obesity by 10 percent. Butyrate supplements also showed improvements in blood sugar levels and insulin resistance.
Studies on animals have shown that gut bacteria, known as butyrate, is related to obesity. Researchers suggest that the stomach acid triggers the release of gut hormones that can signal the brain that a person is full.
A study by the University of Utah showed that mice that were given butyrate supplements lost about 10 percent of their body weight in just five weeks. The mice also showed improvements in their blood sugar levels and resistance to insulin.
Reported in the journal Science, researchers of a similar study extracted samples of gut bacteria from several sets of human twins where one was fat and the other twin was thin. The gut bacteria was then injected in mice and were given the same diets.
The study showed that the mice that were given gut bacteria from the thin twin stayed slim. The mice that were given gut bacteria from the obese twin, on the other hand, gained weight.
Acid butyrate is produced when gut bacteria tries to break down dietary fiber. Studies have shown that people who consume large amounts of dietary fiber such as unrefined, wholegrain foods have increased levels of butyrate.
In most animals, the highest concentration of butyrate is located in the gut, according to Whole Health Source. Aside from helping the movement of digested food, butyrate also prevents inflammation and may reduce cholesterol levels.
Harvard University researchers also found that high levels of butyrate lead to a lower risk of inflammatory bowel diseases. Other research has shown that butyrate may also control appetite.
A new study at the University of Naples is underway that prescribes butyrate to 40 overweight children for a six-month trial. Professor David Haslam, chair of the National Obesity Forum explains that the complexities of the gut are important in understating obesity, cholesterols and bile metabolism, along with gut transit time and food choices.
Researchers claim that there is clear evidence that confirms butyrate acts on brain chemicals to control metabolism and appetite. These studies prove that gut hormone metabolism and habilitation may help in further understanding metabolic diseases and obesity, according to Daily Mail.
