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Jan 4, 2024

Chemical Produced by Gut Microbes Seems to Prevent Obesity in Mice

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, chemistry

This is a good thing to know.


Microbes living in our guts ooze a substance that could help protect us against excessive weight gain, according to observations in mice.

The bacteria-derived compound may explain why early exposure to antibiotics can play a role in childhood obesity, a condition which is rising globally.

Vanderbilt University biochemist Catherine Shelton and colleagues discovered this by giving young mice a high or low fat diet, with or without exposure to antibiotics. Mice only given penicillin antibiotics did not gain weight, but those also on a high fat diet did.

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