According to a latest research study conducted at Sweden’s Lund University, there exists a connection between obesity and the bacteria found in the gut. The researchers found that specific amino acids, which were present in the human blood, were associated with obesity and the composition of gut bacteria. However, researchers have not yet been able to completely decipher the functions of gut bacteria in the human body.
Many research studies have been conducted on animals, but the findings of these studies may not be applicable to human beings. Gut flora of a healthy person may not necessarily be compatible with another person.Several research studies have reported that gut microbiota plays a significant role in maintaining the overall health of humans.
Gut microbiota governs the metabolism of humans, and it is associated with obesity, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular diseases. Several researchers have proved that the concentration of small molecules or similar metabolites is different in the bloodstream of people with metabolic diseases.
The main aim of this research study was to determine which metabolites of the human blood are associated with obesity, especially in people with high BMI. These studies had to determine whether the bacterial composition of stool samples would be affected by these metabolites.
Researchers collected samples of plasma and stool from 674 participants. They identified the 19 metabolites that were linked to the BMI of an obese person. There was a strong connection between obesity and the following chemical compounds: glutamate and BCAA (branched-chain and aromatic amino acids).
The metabolites that were strongly linked to obesity were also found to be associated with four species of intestinal bacteria: blautia, dorea and ruminococcus in Lachnospiraceae family, and SHA98. The differences between the BMI of obese participants was largely related to the differences in the concentration of glutamate and BCAA. There were interactions between the gut bacteria and metabolites, but these interactions were not dependent on each other.
Glutamate is the most risky factor that triggers obesity in humans. This finding was compliant with the findings of previous studies. Moreover, BCAA predicts the onset of diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases in near future.
Future studies have focused on how to modify the gut bacteria’s composition as this would minimize the risk of developing obesity, cardiovascular disorders, and metabolic diseases.
We need to have a proper understanding of the healthy flora in the gut of normal humans. This will further help us in determining the factors that affect the composition of gut bacteria. Therefore, population studies and intervention studies must be conducted on a large scale.