Dietary fibre may hold key to stopping intergenerational obesity
A recent study has shown how prebiotics, forms of dietary fibre, may alter maternal gut bacteria and halt the chances of obesity ‘running in the family’. The researchers, from the University of Calgary, aimed to use diet to change mothers’ gut bacteria in such a way that the intergenerational cycle of obesity was broken. They wanted to do this by identifying healthy foods to feed beneficial bacteria, thereby counteracting the negative effects of unhealthy foods. Prebiotics are naturally occurring forms of dietary fibre and can be found in foods such as garlic, onions and wheat. They are non-digestible and they stimulate and feed health promoting bacteria.
Prebiotic supplements were given to rats and they were also fed high fat and high sugar diets, the other group of rats received the same diet but no supplement. It was found that the rats taking the supplements ate less and eventually had a lower percentage of body fat compared with the control group. Whilst the prebiotic encouraged the growth of ‘good’ bacteria, they also led to the release of hormones that promoted a sense of satiety, meaning that the rats subsequently ate less. The researchers do emphasise however that humans are far more complex than rats, and the use of prebiotics should not be seen as fully transferable yet, or even thought of as a cure for obesity, further study into the use of prebiotics in humans is therefore needed.
Read MoreAir pollution exposure increases risk of obesity
Researchers from Duke University have found that rats who breathed polluted air not only gained weight but also had an increased chance of metabolic dysfunction. The study was conducted by separating two groups of pregnant rats. One group, was exposed to Beijing’s highly polluted air, and the other group filtered air. After 19 days the rats that were breathing the polluted air were heavier and had higher risks of developing cardio-respiratory symptoms. Interestingly, similar results were found in the offspring of both groups of rats.
Overall the effects were seen to be less severe after 3 weeks than after 8, suggesting that continued long-term exposure will more likely to cause negative effects. The results of the study are also consistent with other similar studies that relate increased air pollution to insulin resistance and increased fat tissue. The authors of the study hope that the conclusions drawn will help inform policy makers so that more attention is paid to the less well known effects of air pollution and to slow the growth of the obesity epidemic, particularly in countries like China.
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