Gut Bacteria Could Impact Your Weight, Cholesterol, and Fat
The bacteria residing in your gut can affect your overall health, particularly your fat, weight and cholesterol levels. A recent research has shown that gut bacteria has a profound impact on your heart health as well as your ability to lose weight. It has long been known that the microbes found in the gut do affect the levels of triglycerides and HDL in the body but this recent research has proven the effects can be far-reaching, beyond what was initially presumed. This can be considered good news for people who are at risk of heart disease, as another controllable risk factor has been identified by experts.
What this means is that if a person has abnormal blood lipid levels, this can be caused by the bacteria present in the gut, and not just the previously known risk factors, such as gender, age and BMI. The family history also has an effect on the risk of heart health issues a person is likely to face. Now that it has been identified that the gut bacteria can impact cholesterol, fat and weight, researches can use modern technology to study this in great detail and understand the link between microbes in the gut and the lipid levels in the blood.
The study involved 893 people based in the Netherlands. According to the study, there are 34 different types of bacteria in the gut which can affect the blood lipids and body fat. The impact of the bacteria is different on the triglycerides, HDL and body fat. As per the findings of the study, the impact is:
- 4% on HDL
- 4.6% on body fat
- 6% on triglycerides
The interesting aspect of this is that the bacteria in the gut have little connection with the bad cholesterol in the body.
The importance of microbes can be understood by the fact that they assist the body in performing different functions, including digestion and ensuring optimal function of the immune system. The microbes outnumber the cells comfortably, with a 10 to 1 ratio. So, given the overall importance of microbes and the particular importance of those present in the gut, it can be said they function in much the same way as an organ of the body.
However, the only issue is that few of the gut bacteria have so far been identified and checked so it may be a while before experts are able to alter their structure or effects to influence heart health.
