THE ESSENTIAL
- A study shows that mice injected with Mycobacterium vaccae, a bacteria found in soil and cow’s milk, were protected from the effects of a diet high in fat and sugar.
- These results reinforce the idea that our “old microbial friends”, lost with urbanization, play a key role in health. Mice exposed to this bacteria gained less weight and accumulated less visceral fat, known for their cardiovascular risks.
- Although promising, this research requires testing on humans. In the meantime, avoiding junk food, gardening, or eating fresh vegetables can restore our connection with these beneficial bacteria.
At the start of each year, many people embark on diets or exercise programs to lose weight. But a recent study from the University of Colorado Boulder, in the United States, reveals a new avenue for succeeding, perhaps one day, in this bet without too much effort: exposure to beneficial bacteria.
Published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunitythis research shows that rodents injected weekly with a bacteria found in cow’s milk and soil were protected against weight gain caused by a diet high in fat and sugar. “What is striking is that we observed complete prevention of weight gain associated with the diet”assure the researchers in a press release.
The “old friends” of our intestinal microbiota
This discovery adds to a series of studies on the benefits of intestinal bacteria called “old friends”which evolved alongside humans. But, with the transition to urban and more sanitized lifestyles, we have lost contact with these essential microorganisms. “Which has increased our vulnerability to inflammatory diseases”according to the researchers.
-In a previous study, it had already been shown that the bacteria Mycobacterium cow (at the origin of this protection) could reduce stress-induced inflammation in mice. This time, scientists explored its impact on brain inflammation and anxiety associated with poor diet.
Mice were thus fed for 10 weeks with a healthy diet or a diet rich in fats and sugars. Half of the animals in each group received weekly injections of M. cows. Not surprisingly, the mice fed bacteria-free “junk food” gained 16% more weight than the others. But surprisingly, the mice on a fatty diet that received the bacteria had a similar weight to those on a healthy diet and accumulated less visceral fat, known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Towards a “vaccination” against overweight?
Although these results are limited to animals, the researchers plan to do further work to explore whether M. cows could be administered orally or help with weight loss in humans. For now, they recommend stocking up on these “friendly” bacteria by spending time in nature, gardening, or eating fresh vegetables. “Avoiding junk food is difficult because it is omnipresent. But if we could restore our exposure to these bacteria, it could limit the harmful effects of our Western diet”they conclude.
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