Fecal Bacteria From Thin Humans Can Slim Mice Down (eew, but....)

[SoCalDem]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/06/health/gut-bacteria-from-thin-humans-can-slim-mice-down.html?pagewanted=all
By GINA KOLATA
Published: September 5, 2013



The trillions of bacteria that live in the gut — helping digest foods, making some vitamins, making amino acids — may help determine if a person is fat or thin.

The evidence is from a novel experiment involving mice and humans that is part of a growing fascination with gut bacteria and their role in health and diseases like irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease. In this case, the focus was on obesity. Researchers found pairs of human twins in which one was obese and the other lean. They transferred gut bacteria from these twins into mice and watched what happened. The mice with bacteria from fat twins grew fat; those that got bacteria from lean twins stayed lean. The study, published online Thursday by the journal Science, is “pretty striking,” said Dr. Jeffrey S. Flier, an obesity researcher and the dean of the Harvard Medical School, who was not involved with the study. “It’s a very powerful set of experiments.”

Michael Fischbach of the University of California, San Francisco, who also was not involved with the study, called it “the clearest evidence to date that gut bacteria can help cause obesity.” “I’m very excited about this,” he added, saying the next step will be to try using gut bacteria to treat obesity by transplanting feces from thin people.

“I have little doubt that that will be the next thing that happens,” Dr. Fischbach said. But Dr. Flier said it was far too soon for that.

“This is not a study that says humans will have a different body weight” if they get a fecal transplant, he said. “This is a scientific advance,” he added, but many questions remain.

snip

In fact, the part of the study that most surprised other experts was an experiment indicating that, with the right diet, it might be possible to change the bacteria in a fat person’s gut so that they promote leanness rather than obesity. The investigators discovered that given a chance, and in the presence of a low-fat diet, bacteria from a lean twin will take over the gut of a mouse that already had bacteria from a fat twin. The fat mouse then loses weight. But the opposite does not happen. No matter what the diet, bacteria from a fat mouse do not take over in a mouse that is thin.

snip

[Curmudgeoness]

1. Forget probiotics.

I'm ready for thin bacteria. How soon before they put it in yogurt or a pill? I am not opposed to being a human guinea pig.

[Duer 157099]

3. Um... wrong end

Yogurt microorganisms colonize the gut. This article is talking about further down the pipeline.

Not to be too graphic, but when they say "transplant" they mean it. In other words, entry is from below.

ETA: after actually reading the article, they do talk about the mice eating each others feces! Eeech. I think I'd rather have it go in the other end.

[Curmudgeoness]

4. Well, after a colonoscopy,

apparently I have determined that I will do anything. So.......bring it on.

If I gain any more weight, I might even (not to be too graphic ) be willing to eat shit.

[dimbear]

2. Fortunately endowed humans are going to have an interesting home business opportunity.

Use your imagination.

[Duer 157099]

5. Craigslist will have to add a whole new category

You know, the thought of selling actual shit is somehow intriguing...

[Buns_of_Fire]

6. Packing those little gelatin capsules is going to be a real pain in the butt.

However, if there's a potential buck to be made here...

1) Poop in a cup

2) ?????
3) Profit!

[Duer 157099]

7. And the names! Think of the possibilities!

"From My Ass To Yours"

"Shit R Us"

Etc