Unfortunately, there is no single formula for the correct diet that would help to lose extra pounds and improve health for each of us. Someone regularly eats hamburgers and does not add even a gram, others adhere to a plant-based diet, but cannot get rid of the “excesses” around the waist. Why is this happening? Obviously, the issue of nutrition is very individual and depends on a number of factors, including the state of internal organs.
Scientists recently developed a mathematical formula to help determine which diets are best for a person to lose weight and reduce the risk of disease, based on the unique composition of their gut bacteria.
In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that bacteria in the gut play a huge role in maintaining our health and in the digestion of food. Finally, for the first time, scientists have been able to thoroughly study how bacteria interact during metabolism. This will allow doctors to give personalized nutritional advice, and in the future, perhaps even treat diseases by supplementing or replacing the intestinal microflora.
So how do gut bacteria control weight? Most people approach nutrition in terms of calories. However, the reality is that not all people process the assimilation of the same products in the same way. This explains why some people can live on some cheeseburgers and lose weight, while others, following a similar diet, quickly become obese. More and more new results show that this difference is due to intestinal bacteria.
In a recent study by Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, scientists have taken it a step further and figured out exactly how each type of microorganism in the gut interacts with food, with our organs, and with each other. This allowed them to create a mathematical formula that predicts how well a person’s body will respond to a particular diet.
This approach is primarily important for patients at high risk of developing type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease and, of course, for those who want to lose weight or simply improve their health.
The importance of this discovery does not end with weight loss: gut bacteria have been linked to diseases such as depression and anxiety, as well as a person’s response to cancer treatments.