The first study, which was performed at Mayo Clinic, Arizona, examined microbes in the gastrointestinal tracts of three categories of people: those who were of normal weight, those who were morbidly obese, and those who had undergone stomach bypass surgery to lose weight. The researchers, who were trying to determine how microorganisms influence the metabolism of food and affect a person's weight, found "substantial differences" between the three groups of participants. They also found that bypass surgery affects the microbes.
In the second study, researchers with the Department of Genomic Sciences at Imperial College, London, evaluated 1,380 Europeans who had early onset childhood obesity and 1,416 people of the same age but normal weight. The two groups differed in that the obese group was more likely to have three genetic variations.
"Understanding the genetic basis of obesity is the first step towards helping these children," said Professor Philippe Froguel, one of the authors of the Imperial College study. "Once we identify the genes responsible, we can develop ways to screen children to find out who is most at risk of becoming obese."
The Mayo Clinic study appeared in the publication Mayo Clinic Proceedings. The Imperial College study appeared in the journal Nature Genetics.
Labels: genetics, bacteria, stomach
Posted By: Aspen Education Group
