You know that friend who eats total junk, never works out, and still somehow still manages to look fit? So frustrating! While we’ve been led to believe that this is due to a supposed “fast metabolism,” it turns out it’s actually much more to do with the gut microbiome.
When it comes to the 40 trillion microorganisms living in your gut, it’s important to understand this fundamental relationship:
A healthy gut microbiome makes being healthy easier, while a toxic microbiome contributes to declining health.
What makes a healthy gut microbiome? Diversity.
A diverse community of organisms means you have all sorts of bacteria that help with certain roles. The work is divided and you know how that saying goes: many hands make light work. So when you have a diverse group of just the right microbes – your energy production is up, your metabolism is running like a dream, and you feel fantastic.
Scientists have found that certain gut microbes help shape your body and keep obesity at bay. A recent study on “intestinal microbiota alterations” in obese individuals suggests “it may be possible to intervene in obesity by targeting the gut microbiota.” 1 One day we might even be able to lose weight by simply adding certain bacteria to the gut microbiome.
We already know that by simply putting other people’s microbes in our guts we can affect our weight. In a few startling cases, fecal transplants used to treat people with chronic diarrhea caused by C. difficile, accidentally cause those people to gain weight. 2 Oops!
Gut bacteria seems to influence whether or not a person will be fat or thin. In fact, Scientists can actually look at your gut microbiome composition and tell with 90% accuracy if you are obese or lean. 3
Here are 3 ways your gut bacteria could be making it hard for you to lose weight.
1. Driving up inflammation – Low grade inflammation can lead to obesity. 4 The gut microbiome can contribute to bodywide inflammation by producing harmful byproducts, which can enter the bloodstream and turn on inflammatory responses. This can lead to increased fat storage and decreased fat export. 5
2. Not having enough butyrate – This important short chain fatty acid is protective against obesity and insulin resistance, a precursor to type 2 diabetes. Butyrate also reduces inflammation and makes you feel full more quickly. 6
3. Making you feel hungry all the time – Your microbes communicate with your brain through the vagus nerve. They influence ghrelin, leptin, and other peptides responsible for normal hunger responses. 7 Your gut microbiome can also make your feel more hungry if it isn’t producing enough enzymes, you don’t have enough butyrate producers, and have low diversity. [6,8,9]
Want to dig deeper into the science behind this list? Check out our blog: How An Unhealthy Gut Microbiome Can Make You Fat.
While Viome doesn’t guarantee weight loss, it has been an exciting result many of our customers have reported.
Here are a few exciting testimonials Viome customers have shared with us:
“Fiona’s update day 37! I feel amazing, and I mean properly amazing, full of energy, my skin is better, I feel more emotionally stable (which is strange because I didn’t feel particularly emotionally unstable before), my shape is still changing even though the scales are still being stubborn (11 lbs off in total!) and my bowels are an efficient working machine.” – Fiona
“I’ve lost 13 lbs, my acne is gone (I’m 41), I don’t belch after each meal, my bloating is gone, I don’t have daily headaches, I feel better, I have more energy, I’m not ravenous all of the time...the list could go on and on... I can’t say thank you all enough!” – Emily
We know weight loss can be tough. Find out if your weight struggles are due to a gut microbiome imbalance with Viome – and let’s tip the scales in your favor.
Viome’s mission is to make chronic disease optional. Through addressing the underlying cause of chronic disease – inflammation – we aim to put power back in the hands of people. We see the future of medicine as individualized, to meet your precise needs. Because your gut microbiome is a key regulator of inflammation, immune system resilience, and metabolism, it’s the first part of the body our team of experts want to unravel.
Get started with Viome and see what you’re recommendations will uncover.
Check out our Youtube channel to hear the inspiring stories of people who discovered Viome!
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