Link between Gut Microbiome and Obesity

At the University of Iowa, a research study found that there is a link between the gut microbiome and obesity. This information could be a breakthrough for the weight loss industry, helping people to understand why they have such a difficult time losing weight.

It was discovered that changes within the gut microbiome can have a domino effect to reduce the number of calories burned during resting or sleeping (known as the resting metabolic rate).  When the gut microbiome shifts in an unhealthy way, it changes the resting metabolism which leads to obesity and weight gain.

The research study was based on how certain types of prescription medications impact the patients’ gut microbiome, which in turn affects weight gain.  A high-tech machine was used to measure the changes that occurred in mice, including energy intake, heat production, carbon dioxide output, and oxygen consumption. This information helped to indicate the metabolic processes which have a direct impact on weight loss and weight gain.  They found that when mice were given gut microbiome disrupting medication, then there was a 16% change in the resting metabolic rate.

Then, to take the research on step further, additional tests were done which used viruses that infect microbiome bacteria.  It was found that this non-medication disruption of the microbiome had the same effect to cause weight gain through reduced resting metabolic rate.

How Many Calories Do You Burn while Sleeping?

The concept of burning calories while sleeping is an interesting topic, especially because so many people think they need to sweat it out in the gym to lose weight.  But, the evidence suggests that improving the balance of healthy bacteria in the gut could possibly increase the resting metabolic rate.  So, by improving your gut health, it means that you are burning more calories when you are asleep.

These results have changed the way that some health professionals look at obesity treatment, helping people to see the importance of a healthy gut for weight loss.  If you want to experience the best weight loss success for your efforts, then you need to be sure that you are preventing unhealthy changes to your gut health.

The bottomline:  You need to take care of your gut health if you want to optimize your weight loss goals.  That means making sure that you eat a well balance diet composed of whole foods that nourish you gut and really limit eating processed and refined foods (ie. sweets, breads, pasta etc.) that disrupt your gut health.