Your gut has about 100 trillion bacteria and they have a direct impact on your body and metabolism. They are also intimately related with your weight. You need the right mix of bacteria in your intestines because they will help you to make healthier food choices and stay slim. If you have the wrong mix of bacteria, it will encourage you to gain weight and develop a taste for junk and processed foods.

Washington University School of Medicine conducted a study which check the type of bacteria present in digestive systems of different people. It is found that people who are obese had the smallest variety of gut bacteria.

The study also found that if you have a type of bacteria known as Firmicutes, you are likely to have more weight and become obese. This bacteria can die just complex sugars that other bacteria cannot digests and then convert them into simple sugars and fatty acids. These sugars and fatty acids are then absorbed from the intestine is into the bloodstream and as a result of that you become obese and gain more weight. On the other hand, if you have a type of bacteria known as Bacteroidetes, you are likely to have a slimmer physique.

Weight control

The bacteria present in your gut can control your weight in different ways. Some of the bacteria may send more calories to your body which your body will store as fat.

Scientists from New York University Langone Medical Centre found that if your gut has a bacteria known as Helicobacter pylori you should be very careful because this bacteria can regulate certain hormones in your body including the hunger hormone ghrelin. If you have an abundance of this bacteria, it will result in painful stomach ulcers. On the other hand if the number of this bacteria reduces drastically, your weight efforts may become more difficult. Widespread use of antibiotics can result in reduction of the levels of this particular bacteria and when that happens weight loss can become more and more difficult for you.

A study published in the Journal BMC Gastroenterology found that people who used antibiotics for treatment of digestive system problems may have completely eliminated H. pylori and as a result of that ghrelin hormone levels increase six fold. It will make you hungry and as a result of that you are going to eat more and more food several times during the day. That will result in excess calorie going into your body which will be stored as body fat. Instead of losing fat and weight, you'll be adding more fat and weight to your body.

Yale University did a study on mice and found that the gut bacteria pump out a fatty acid called as acetate can increase eating behaviours. If the levels of acetate increases in your body it will increase production of ghrelin and insulin. Insulin is very crucial in controlling your blood sugar and promoting storage of body fat.

Because of these gut bacteria different processes keep happening inside your body which may add more body fat and weight. Now if the gut bacteria is working against you, how can you expect to achieve results from all the efforts you are making to lose more body fat and weight? First of all, you will have to understand the importance of gut bacteria and its impact on your metabolism and cravings and then you'll be able to take some steps to ensure that the number of good bacteria which will help you to lose fat and weight increases.

References

1. Flat Belly Forever
2. Taking aim at belly fat
3. The effect of abdominal exercise on abdominal fat