Scientists from the University of Nicosia (Cyprus) found that people with a good level of physical fitness and a high percentage of muscle mass in the body have an increased number of intestinal bacteria Alistipes, Bifidobacterium, Oscilibacter and Faecalibacterium. results published In the scientific journal Nutrients.
For their research, the scientists conducted a meta-analysis of previous scientific studies on the relationship between a person’s weight and the composition of the gut microflora. It was noted that scientists analyzed a total of 60 studies published on PubMed, Cochrane and Scopus platforms.
It was revealed that the number of Bacteroidetes bacteria decreased and the number of Firmicutes increased in the intestines of obese people compared to normal weight people. A clear relationship has been established between high abundance of gut bacteria from the genus Firmicutes and obesity parameters (such as increased body mass index, high fat mass and waist circumference).
The Bacteroidetes genus had a positive correlation with healthy and increased amount of muscle in the body. These gut microbes were more prominently represented in athletes than in people of normal weight. It was also noted that some bacteria that are frequently and abundantly found in obese people are Eubacterium, Lactobacillus, Megasphaera, Dorea, Streptococcus and Dialister. Reductions in Alistipes, Bifidobacterium, Oscilibacter, and Faecalibacterium were also seen compared to individuals of normal body weight.
According to scientists, this relationship may be due to the existence of the gut-brain axis in humans, which involves bidirectional biochemical signaling between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system.
The link between the gut microbiome and body weight may be due to the ability of lipopolysaccharides (found in the cell walls of Gram-negative bacteria) to trigger inflammation in the body. It is a common symptom of obesity.
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