Overweight people have a different intestinal flora composition than slim people. Do their intestinal flora deviate because they are too fat, or are they too fat because their intestinal flora deviates?
That is one of the questions that drives AMC internist Anne Vrieze in her research into transplantation with stool. In recent years, for example, it has been discovered that many patients with chronic diarrhea benefit from receiving faeces from a healthy donor. Anne Vrieze has found indications that healthy faeces can also help people who are overweight.
The investigation
A group of overweight men took part in the study. A part was given their own stools, the second part was given healthy donor stools. After six weeks, the subjects returned for a check-up. In those who had received donor poo, insulin sensitivity was improved.
The first step
The method will not be accessible to everyone anytime soon. Anne Vrieze has taken an important step with her research and has shown that it basically works. Much more research is needed to demonstrate that it applies to large groups of patients.
In addition, the treatment is too expensive, unpleasant and there is a high risk of spreading infections. Donor poop will therefore not become the next weight loss method.
So what?
The aim is to discover which bacteria are important to help the patient, so that those bacteria can be cultured and administered to patients via a drink or pill. However, it is not that far yet. Our gut flora contains billions of bacteria, so there is still a long way to go to discover which of these bacteria helps overweight patients.
What do you think of this special method? Finally, one last piece of advice:don't try this at home.
