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Stomach Bacteria and Obesity
Obesity has
now become an epidemic health condition, as it has been regarded as one
of the prime reasons for several chronic health disorders such as
arthritis, high blood pressure, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases,
strokes, and several types of cancers. Obesity is the result of a number
of varied factors such as environmental factors including lifestyle
behaviors; physical activity; psychological factors such as anxiety and
anger, which in turn leads to an influence over one's eating habits;
illnesses and hormonal irregularities like hypothyroidism, depression,
and some rare kinds of diseases affecting the brain; and certain types
of drugs like steroids and antidepressants. Along with these cluster of
factors, studies now reveal that stomach bacteria may also cause
obesity. This article further deals with the information on how stomach
bacteria causes obesity and other health related problems.
Researchers
studied the link between stomach bacteria and obesity on animals by
removing the microbes from their stomach and feeding them a high-calorie
diet. In addition, experiments were conducted on animals without
removing their microbes by feeding them high-calorie diet, in order to
monitor the difference of their body weight. Later, the results revealed
that animals without any microbes ate more food, without gaining any
additional body weight. It was also discovered that some types of
microbes promote storage of body fat and prevent certain proteins from
inhibiting the formation of body fat. The research was primarily focused
on two types of bacteria: the bacteroidetes and the firmicutes.
Usually the
type as well as the nature of a microbe living in the stomach and
intestine affects the nutrients and calories extracted from food.
Certain studies reveal that the stomach consists of both good bacteria,
known as microflora, and bad bacteria, known as pathogens. Usually,
these organisms play a pivotal role for the proper functioning of your
body, apart from metabolizing food as well as protecting your body
against severe ailments like asthma and storing calories in body fat
tissue. Meaning that stomach bacteria act as a mediator and biomarker to
safeguard the body from disease and plays a major role in the digestion
process by breaking down complex polysaccharides into sugar that your
body can use, however due to several conditions such as an intake of
antibiotics, poor diet, lack of sleep, and stress, it has been
discovered that the growth of bad bacteria now outnumbers the growth of
good bacteria.
It has been
found that the level of bad bacteria is extremely high in obese people
when compared to thin people. This in turn makes you susceptible to
weight gain, obesity, and eventually a host of severe ailments such as
diabetes type 2, osteoarthritis, and sleep apnea. Likewise, obese
people mostly have a high level of Firmicutes bacteria (also called
gram-positive) such as bacillus, clostridium, enterococcus, and
lactobacillus, in their stomach as well as intestines when compared to
thinner people who have more bacteroidetes bacteria (also called
gram-negative) in their stomach. However, there are no clear evidences
or studies on the point that Firmicutes tends to cause obesity.
According
to a new branch of study, known as, infectobesity, certain types of
viruses are also considered one of the major causes for obesity. Apart
from bacteria and viruses, pathogens are also regarded as a major reason
for obesity. Sometimes, even microbes such as archea, fungi, and
protozoa can cause obesity.
One of the
best ways to balance the bacteria in the stomach is to avoid or minimize
the intake of such items as carbohydrates, alcohol, nuts, seeds, grains
and flour products, animal proteins, acidic fruits, caffeine, and fast
food. In addition, it is recommended to include such items in your daily
diet as minerals, raw salads, ocean vegetables, healthy oils, and
fermented food as well as drinks. Equally important is to avoid sleep
disturbances, fatigue, and stress.
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