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Functional Analysis of the Microbiome for Development of Potential Therapeutic Approaches to Weight Regain

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

Transplanting fecal microbes to prevent recurring obesity

Finally, the researchers used these insights to develop new treatments for recurrent obesity. They implanted formerly obese mice with gut microbes from mice that had never been obese. This fecal microbiome transplantation erased the “memory” of obesity in these mice when they were re-exposed to a high-calorie diet, preventing excessive recurrent obesity.

Gut Microbes Contribute to Recurrent ‘Yo-Yo’ Obesity, Study Shows

By Einat Paz-Frankel, NoCamels December 18, 2016

Researchers at Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science have shown in mice that intestinal microbes – collectively termed the gut microbiome – play an unexpectedly important role in exacerbated post-dieting weight gain, and that this common phenomenon may in the future be prevented or treated by altering the composition or function of the microbiome.

“We’ve shown in obese mice that following successful dieting and weight loss, the microbiome retains a ‘memory’ of previous obesity,” Elinav said in a statement. “This persistent microbiome accelerated the regaining of weight when the mice were put back on a high-calorie diet or ate regular food in excessive amounts.”

http://nocamels.com/2016/12/gut-microbes-recurrent-obesity-diet/

Original Research

• Christoph A. Thaiss,
• Shlomik Itav,
• Daphna Rothschild,
• Mariska Meijer,
• Maayan Levy,
• Claudia Moresi,
• Lenka Dohnalová,
• Sofia Braverman,
• Shachar Rozin,
• Sergey Malitsky,
• Mally Dori-Bachash,
• Yael Kuperman,
• Inbal Biton,
• Arieh Gertler,
• Alon Harmelin,
• Hagit Shapiro,
• Zamir Halpern,
• Asaph Aharoni,
• Eran Segal
• & Eran Elinav

• Affiliations
• Corresponding authors

Nature (2016) doi:10.1038/nature20796

Corrected online

28 November 2016

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