Does a Persons Own Natural Microbial Gut Flora Contribute to Obesity - Research Paper Example

Numerous species of bacteria are known to have evolved, grown and lived in the human intestine. Scientist such as Delzenne and Cani argue that the human gut is a habitat for between 300 and 500 different species of bacteria (277). Other scientists ascertain that the human intestine is a microbial ecosystem that contains more than 100 trillion microorganisms (Ley, Turnbaugh, Klein and Gordon 1023). The bacteria in the human gut have been linked to obesity by many research findings. This essay will investigate and report whether a person’s own natural microbial gut flora contribute to obesity.

Traditionally, the key players linked to obesity have always been diet, exercise, lifestyle and one’s genes. The less one moves, the less the calories they burn and the more they are likely to eat, hence retaining a lot of calories and increasing the chances of being obese. This equation has sometimes been influenced by one’s genes. However, Simon and Gorbach (174) argue that the above mentioned factors do not adequately explain every obesity case that is reported. Researchers are continually discovering another factor that contributes to the rapid increase in one’s body weight; the bacteria in one’s gut.

Until recently, the bacteria in the human gut have been ignored as potential causes of obesity. . Most of these microbes are scientifically proven to perform a wide range of vital bodily functions such as helping in the regulation of calories that the human body receives from food. These calories would have otherwise been stored by the body as fat; hence these microbes can simply be said to aid in the regulation of weight (Simon and Gorbach 174). According to a new study published in the International Diary Journal of Health, the particular type and balance of microbes harbored by the human body in the guts can either contribute to the body becoming lean or obese.

These microbes have the capacity to manipulate themselves so as to potentially change the weight of the body (Delzenne and Cani 279). Many scientific studies conducted on mice and human volunteers have advanced the understanding of microbiomes and the effects that they have on health, obesity and metabolism. A lot of metagenomic studies have demonstrated that certain types of gut microbiota have the ability to either predispose or protect the host’s body from obesity (Turnbaugh, Ley, Mahowald, Magrini, Mardis and Gordon 1027).

Through these studies, microbiota transplantations were done in germ-free murine models, revealing that the traits of obese-type gut flora which can efficiently extract energy are transmissible. These scientific studies have also shown that there are certain well known methods through which these microbiomes may a lead to obesity (Delzenne and Cani 280). These methods are through triggering systemic inflammation, promoting the deposition of fat and increasing the harvest of dietary energy. Tsai and Walter (307) suggest that future obesity treatments may require the use of prebiotics and