A recent study identifies a specific gut bacteria's role in preventing and treating obesity, offering potential new therapeutic avenues for metabolic health.
Researchers at the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC) discovered that Phascolarctobacterium faecium, a human intestinal bacteria, exhibits protective properties against obesity and its related metabolic complications. This bacterium counters the harmful effects of high-calorie diets on the immune system. The findings, published in Nature Microbiology, combined analysis of over 7,500 human microbiomes with experiments on mice.
The study revealed that Phascolarctobacterium faecium is more prevalent in individuals with healthy weight compared to those with overweight or obesity. Administering a specific strain of this bacteria to mice with diet-induced obesity significantly reduced weight gain, fat accumulation, and improved glucose tolerance. Notably, the bacteria modulated the function of the innate immune system, reducing inflammation in the gut.
This modulation involves reprogramming immune cells, specifically reducing pro-inflammatory macrophages and promoting alternative macrophages that block inflammatory events. This process helps restore immunological balance in the gut, curbing chronic inflammation caused by high-calorie diets. These effects are linked to structural components of the bacterial cell, activating specific immune receptors (Toll-like receptor 2 or TLR2).
This discovery enhances our understanding of the interactions between diet, immunity, and the microbiota, paving the way for new therapies to prevent or treat obesity. By redirecting the immune response to diet and blocking inflammatory events, this bacterial action on the gut offers a promising approach to combat metabolic diseases more effectively.