In environmental biotechnology, we manage microbial communities, usually toimprove environmental quality. The idea to improve human health directly bymanaging the microorganisms in us is an exciting new path for us and a wonderfulcollaboration between medical and environmental scientists,“ said BruceRittmann, who directs the Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology and isa leading expert in microbial remediation. The research team’s central hypothesisis that differing microbial populations in the gut allow the body to harvest moreenergy, making people more susceptible to developing obesity. These smalldifferences can, over time, profoundly affect an individual’s weight.
Obesity is more than a cosmetic concern, because it increases a person’s risk fordeveloping high blood pressure, diabetes, and many other serious health problems.It’s well understood that consuming more calories than you expend through exerciseand daily activities causes weigh gain. But with about one in every three Americanadults now considered obese, researchers are attempting to identify additionalfactors that affect a person’s tendency to gain and retain excess weight.
The team has performed the first molecular survey of gut microbial diversity followingsurgical weight loss, and has helped solidify the link between methane producingmicrobes (or methanogens) and obesity. Specifically, the microbial populationsextracted from obese individuals were high in both hydrogen-producing bacteriaknown as prevotellaceae and hydrogen-consuming methanogens, a condition notfound in normal weight or gastric bypass patients. While weight regulation involvesa complex interplay of genetic predisposition, exercise, eating habits, and otherfactors, manipulation of the gut’s microflora may provide additional avenues for thetreatment of morbid obesity.
Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown, PhD
Assistant Professor
Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology
Each month, innovative research from the Biodesign Institute appears in the world’s premier scientific journals. Many such studies have graced the covers of these journals, showcasing Biodesign research ranging from water remediation to nanometer-scale structures built from DNA.
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