1 out of 10 Cells in Your Body is Human
Microbes rule the human body and they control whether you’ll be fat or thin. Science has uncovered a viral invader that can upset the balance and cause you to be fat.
That’s right, 1 out 10 cells in your body are actually human cells, the other 90 percent are microbial. These microscopic organisms, including bacteria, fungi, protozoa and a form of life called archaea are found in the ears, nose, mouth, anus, as well as every inch of skin, especially the armpits, the groin and between the toes.
However, the majority are in your gut. For people with weight problems we need to pay particular attention to these gut microflora. Scientist have long known that gut microflora act as a collective colony and actually intervene on our behalf and perform functions we simply could not do on our own. Some of the functions gut microflora do for us:
- Create the capillaries that line and nourish the intestines.
- Produces vitamins such as thiamine, pyroxidine and vitamin K.
- Provides enzymes necessary to metabolize cholesterol and bile acid.
- Digests complex plant fiber found in grains, fruits and vegetables that would otherwise be indigestible.
In addition to these bodily housekeeping chores your gut microflora are in effect responsible for whether our diets will make us fat or thin in that they extract calories from from food and ship them off to fats cells for storage.
All gut microflora looks pretty much the same. Yet, there are subtle differences in the microflora and science is not clear why the variations exist other than environmental changes such as taking antibiotics.
Science has now turned its eye towards the connection between the microflora and obesity.
In the lab…
Germ-free mice, reared in sterile isolators had 60 percent less fat than ordinary mice. What’s interesting is that these same mice ate voraciously, in fact, 30 percent more food than other rats, AND, they stayed thin.
It’s transplant the gut microfora time…
Once scientists transplanted gut microbes from normal mice into the germ-free mice, the germ-free mice started metabolizing food better, extracting calories efficiently and storing body fat. Within two weeks, they were just as fat as ordinary mice.
One of the culprit that can upset your guts microflora which can lead to weight gain looks to be the adenoviruses Ad-36. Some are calling it the obesity virus.
Your next question. Can you catch Ad-36? Answer, yes!
Since it’s a virus it means people might be able to “catch obesity” could play a part in causing steeply rising numbers of those who are seriously overweight, according to an American researcher. Nikhil Dhurundbar, who has conducted blood tests on both US and British volunteers, is said to have found significantly higher levels of the virus among obese people.
Is there a test for Ad-36? Yes!
There is a screening test to look for the presence of Ad-36 antibodies in the blood. Ask your physician.
