Today I will tell you a story; the relation between the microbes in your stomach and obesity.
As usual, this story also has a hero, heroin and a villain.
Your stomach, microbes in your gut and antibiotics leads the role respectively.
How come the antibiotic a villain?
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| The Link Between Antibiotics And Obesity |
To know more about it, you have to read this story to the
very end.
The story starts long years ago, in the era of Antony van
Leeuwenhoek, who commonly known as ‘the father of microbiology’. He did improvements in microscope and
initiated the study of microbes- microbiology.
And Antony van Leeuwenhoek becomes our first microbiologist. On September
17, 1683, describing “very little animalcules, very prettily a-moving,” which
he had seen under a microscope in plaque scraped from his teeth. For more than
three centuries after van Leeuwenhoek's observation, 2012 The Human Microbiome
Project (HMP) established.
We will have a look at how the relation is
building up between our lovers; stomach and microbes.
A Flashback: The school days
The extensive studies shows, the number of
Bacteria in an average human body is ten times more than human cells. A total
of about 1000 more genes present than in the human genome. Because of their
small size, however, microorganisms make up only about 1 to 3 percent of our
body mass (that's 2 to 6 pounds of bacteria in a 200-pound adult). These
microbes are generally not harmful to us; in fact they are essential for
maintaining health. They produce some vitamins which we have no genetic code,
some microbes digest our food to extract nutrients which we need to survive,
teach our immune systems how to recognize dangerous invaders and even produce
helpful anti-inflammatory compounds that fight off other disease-causing
microbes.
Total Microbiota in human can weigh up to 2 kg
Gut flora or gut microbiota consist of
complex community of microorganisms species that lives in digestive tracts of
animals. Bacteria make up most of the flora. Somewhere around 300 to 1000
different species liven in the stomach. Research suggests that the relationship
between gut flora and humans is not merely commensal (a
non-harmful coexistence), but rather a mutualistic relationship.
Though people can survive without gut
flora, the microorganisms perform a host of useful functions, such
as fermenting unused energy substrates,
training the immune system, preventing growth of harmful,
pathogenic bacteria, producing vitamins for the host, such as biotin and vitamin K, and
producing hormones to direct the host to store fats. In return, these
microorganisms procure within the host a protected, nutrient-rich environment
in which they can thrive. However, in certain conditions, some species are
thought to be capable of causing disease by
producing infection or increasing cancer risk
for the host.
The Relation between Gut Microbiota and Obesity
In my previous post Obesity linked to exposure to Artificial light we discussed how the over exposure to artificial light leads to obesity. Now we will study the role of microbes.
An early hint that gut microbes might play
a role in obesity came from studies comparing intestinal bacteria in obese and
lean individuals. In studies of twins who were both lean or both obese,
researchers found that the gut community in lean people was like a rain forest
brimming with many species but that the community in obese people was less
diverse—more like a nutrient-overloaded pond where relatively few species
dominate. Lean individuals, for example, tended to have a wider variety of
Bacteroidetes, a large tribe of microbes that specialize in breaking down bulky
plant starches and fibers into shorter molecules that the body can use as a
source of energy.
The composition of gut microbiota is unique to each individual, just like our fingerprints
Differences in the gut Microbiome exist between
obese and lean human. Relative composition of Microbiome at the early life
predicts the subsequent development of overweight and obesity. In a
comparison, of obese children and normal-weight children, bifidobacterial
numbers during infancy were significantly higher in children remaining at a
normal weight at age 7 years, whereas significantly greater numbers of Staphylococcus
aureus in infancy were detected in children who
subsequently became overweight.
The entry of Antihero: Use of Antibiotics
Now the point is clear that the diversity
of the gut Microbiome is very important for a healthy body. From here we will
try to identify the relation between obesity and the use of antibiotics.
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| The rate of Antibiotic Usage in US a state wise comparison : Source CDC |
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| State wise Obesity rate in US . Source:Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System :CDC |
Different
antimicrobial agents can influence the normal gut microbiota in different ways.
The extent of the antibiotic induced alterations in the microbiota depends on
several factors: i) the spectrum of the agent, ii) dosage and duration of
treatment, iii) route of administration and iv) the pharmacokinetic and
pharmaco dynamic properties of the agent. For example, secretion of an
antibiotic by intestinal mucosa, bile or salivary glands may subsequently interfere
with the normal microbiota at different sites. Other side effects of some
antibiotics on the human host include disturbance of the metabolism and absorption
of vitamins, alteration of susceptibility to infections and overgrowth of yeast
and/or Clostridium.
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| Research reports on effect of different Antibiotics on Gut Microbiota :Hitectac |
Several antibiotics are specifically
active against anaerobic bacteria that dominate in the human intestinal
microbiota. They play an important role in maintaining a healthy gut, such as
producing extensive amounts of volatile fatty acids. Therefore, treatment with
antibiotics that select against important groups of anaerobic bacteria can have
substantial consequences for the resultant functional stability of the
microbiota. One example is clindamycin, a relatively broad-spectrum antibiotic
that primarily targets anaerobic bacteria.
More than 1,000 different known bacterial species can be found in human gut microbiota, but only 150 to 170 predominate in any given subject
Clindamycin has been shown to have a large
negative impact on the intestinal microbiota as seen by reduced resistance to
colonization by pathogens, leading to a high risk for pseudomembranous colitis
due to C. difficile overgrowth. C. difficile is commonly isolated in low
numbers from healthy individuals, but may increase in number as a consequence
of antibiotic-induced disturbances, in particular following suppression of the
normal beneficial members of the anaerobic microbiota. Gastritis and diarrhoea
are other recorded clindamycin-induced effects on the intestinal flora and
disturbances of normal bowel function can lead to symptoms such as bloating and
intestinal pain
Antibiotics linked to childhood obesity
Young
children who are given repeated courses of antibiotics are at greater risk than
those who use fewer drugs of becoming obese, US researchers say.
There
is a correlation observed that , the children had four or more course of
antibiotics by the age of 2 were at 10% more high risk of being obese. Even
though the direct correlation of antibiotics and obesity is not completely
understood, but indirectly it is true. The studies already proved that the high
use of antibiotics will alter the gut biome.
US researchers from the University of
Pennsylvania and Bloomberg School of Public Health reviewed the health records
of more than 64,500 American children between 2001 and 2013.
The children were followed up until they
reached five years of age.
Almost 70% of them had been prescribed two
courses of antibiotics by the time they were 24 months old.
Do You Know : Drinking Cold Water Will Helps to reduce Obesity'
But those who had four or more courses in
this time were at a 10% higher risk of being obese at the age of five than
children who had been given fewer drugs.
And the type of antibiotics they were
prescribed appeared to make a difference too - those given drugs targeted at a
particular bug were less likely to put on weight.
But those given a broad-spectrum
antibiotic - that can kill several types of bacteria indiscriminately - were
more likely to have a higher body mass.
Prof Charles Bailey at the University of
Pennsylvania, said: "We think after antibiotics some of the normal
bacteria in our gut that are more efficient at nudging our weight in the right
direction may be killed off and bacteria that nudge the metabolism in the wrong
direction may be more active."
A couple of years ago I read a research
paper on the topic “ Impact of the Gut Microbiota on the Development ofObesity: Current Concepts” published in
Nature. This will be a good read to have some scientific information.
Conclusion
Now we are at the end of our story. Yes
this is just a story, just to initiate a thought on your mind. I was trying to
spark the link between overuse of antibiotics- directly and through livestock’s-
is dangerously changing our gut microbiota. And this microbiota is very
essential for our body balance in many ways.
Generic or broad-spectrum antibiotics are
not our friend. Antibiotic usage at infant stage will increase the risk of
obesity at later sate. As everyone says “What you are is what you eat”.
The story ends here with a question to
you.
Do you know what are prebiotics and probiotics?How prebiotics and Probiotics help you to maintain good health?
Share your answer with us so our microbiota
thrives in our gut and make us healthy.
Have a good day… don’t forget to press
share buttons below J
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