Can’t control your appetite? Study: E. coli can help

"Cell Metabolism" published a study by Rouen University in France, which found that intestinal bacteria release proteins that affect appetite.

When eating, the E. coli in the intestine will enter an exponential growth phase (Exp). Twenty minutes later, it will enter a stationary phase (Stat). At this time, the ClpB protein released by E. coli can be detected in the plasma and increases significantly, which is exactly when most people begin to feel full.

The authors then conducted experiments on mice and rats, and found that injecting the protein released by the stable phase of E. coli into the intestines would increase the plasma PYY concentration; injecting it into the abdominal cavity would immediately inhibit eating behavior and stimulate the POMC nerves that suppress appetite; if the stable phase protein was injected repeatedly, the amount of food eaten at each meal would be reduced.

Studies have shown that eating causes cell growth, which in turn releases proteins that regulate the host's satiety pathways and inhibit eating. Other bacteria that regulate eating may be discovered in the future, and the authors hope to understand the mechanisms that may help people with obesity or binge eating disorders.

This article is from ELSEVIER Global Pharmaceutical News