Baby’s Gut Bacteria Mix Predicts Obesity
Researchers from the University of Turku in Finland have found that babies with high amounts of bifidobacteria and low numbers of Staphylococcus aureus may be protected from being overweight.
They looked at the fecal samples from 49 participants, taken at 6 and 12 months of age. 25 of the participants were overweight or obese at age 7 while the rest were of normal weight at the same age.
Those who had high bacterial counts of bifidobacteria and low in fecal S. aureus levels
did not become overweight. The researchers suggest that the S. aureus may trigger low-grade inflammation and play a role in developing obesity.
This study was published in the March issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Source: Yahoo News, 7 March 2008
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