Microbes and obesity – more connections

A couple of recent papers on weight-loss surgery and microbes have gotten a lot of attention to the idea that obesity and microbes have a more than just coincidental connection.

Some of the news stories on the topic are below. A few of them are a bit over the top but the new work seems pretty sound so this is definitely worth a look.

• Fox: After weight-loss surgery, new gut bacteria keep obesity away
• National Post ‘Weight loss bacteria’ found in gut may play key role in fighting …
• BBC: Bacteria find ‘key to treating obesity without surgery’
• CBS: Gut bacteria may be key to weight loss
• LA Times Bacteria may provide some of gastric bypass surgery’s boost
• NY Times: Bacteria in the Intestines May Help Tip the Bathroom Scale, Studies Show
• Nature via Scientific American: Gut-Microbe Swap Helps with Weight Loss

Author: Jonathan Eisen

I am an evolutionary biologist and a Professor at U. C. Davis. (see my lab site here). My research focuses on the origin of novelty (how new processes and functions originate). To study this I focus on sequencing and analyzing genomes of organisms, especially microbes and using phylogenomic analysis View all posts by Jonathan Eisen