After a trip to Peru last year, microbiologist Rob Knight came home with a horrendous case of
traveler's diarrhea. He took some antibiotics and quickly recovered. But
because Knight had been participating in one of his own studies of the
human microbiome--the diverse collection of bacteria and other organisms
that inhabit our gut, skin, mouths, and other parts--he could examine
how the drugs changed the microbial population in his gut. Microbes did
repopulate his digestive tract, but the community makeup was different.
Soon after his trip, Knight restarted a diet and exercise program that had previously proved ineffective at helping him lose weight. This time around, he lost 60 pounds. His mind went straight to his microbes. Previous research from his lab at the University of Colorado, in Boulder, showed that microbes can have a transmissible effect on weight--transplanting microbes from fat, hungry mice into normal mice causes the recipients to eat more and gain weight. "The conjecture was that the antibiotics might clear out the microbes that were already there and make it easier to reshape the community," says Knight.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Technology Review: You Are Your Bacteria
Author: Emily
Singer
