Microbes & Metabolism…Oh My!
Microbes & Metabolism…Oh My!
By Liz Moon, NP
As you’ve heard it referenced in the past, there are trillions of bacteria living in our GI tract. We are learning more and more everyday about the different roles they play with how our body functions. “New research [recently published in Science] in mice now reveals that these microbes may shape our metabolism…Researchers in Daniel Mucida’s Laboratory of Mucosal Immunology [at The Rockefeller University] have identified a particular type of gut neuron that controls blood sugar levels, influencing appetite.”
The Rockefeller University: Microbes in the gut may influence metabolism
Your gut basically has its own nervous system which helps with digestion and motility through specific signals, most of which are thought to come from our diet or gut microbes. Part of Mucida’s experiment found that neurons located near the end of the intestines were hit particularly hard by the treatment (antibiotics), suggesting that they (gut neurons) may be especially reliant on microbes to function optimally.
“But the researchers still did not know what roles these microbe-regulated neurons play in the body. So, they engineered the mice in such a way that they could selectively manipulate the subset of neurons. To their surprise, they saw that the mice’s appetites decreased when the neurons were activated, while their blood sugar level increased. And deleting the same neurons had the opposite effect.”
“This mechanism of regulating blood glucose seems to act independently of the brain, but rather by a direct line of communication between gut, pancreas and liver—a finding with potential therapeutic implications for metabolic diseases,” says Matheis, one of the graduate researchers.
This research along with hundreds of other studies are getting us closer to understanding how we can utilize the benefits of the gut microbiome to our advantage. If you would like to optimize your gut health and metabolic (blood sugar, hormones, etc.) health please contact us today! Call us at 224-407-4400 or request an appointment on our website at www.compgihealth.com
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