Inherited Gut Bacteria Help Fight Obesity , Say Scientists

Researchers at King's College and Cornell University say that a certain type of bacteria, which are inherited, help in fighting obesity.

"Our findings show that specific groups of microbes living in our gut could be protective against obesity - and that their abundance is influenced by our genes," said Tim Spector, professor at King's College London.

The bacteria belong to family 'Christensenellaceae'

The team studied the fecal samples of 416  twin pairs in the United kingdom and found that the bacteria were more commonly found in thin people. The team discovered that the bacteria  was seen more in identical twins than in fraternal ones.

The researchers did the study on a mice model by ingesting the bacteria into mice and noticed slower weight gain in these animals.

Dr. Ruth Ley, associate professor in the department of microbiology at Cornell University and the study leader, said they were surprised by the effective results and repeated the experiments several times, reports the BBC.

The team is now working to identify the particular genes that are affected by the presence of the Christensenellaceae  bacteria and its workings.

"Once we have found out how it works in mice, if it seems like we can apply that to humans we can look into developing this as a probiotic to regulate weight," Ley said.

"Our genes influence whether we are fat or thin by shaping which types of microbes thrive in our gut," she added.

The research was published in the journal Cell.