Hey everyone Welcome to the last official day of this blog. I have gained a great amount of knowledge throughout this research blog and i hope you guys did as well. Today i wanted to end this all off by diving into an intriguing study that goes back to what we’ve talked about before on how gut microbiome can affect our weight and try and form a claim. This is based on amazing research involving twins, one of whom is obese and the other lean. Now lets explore this study in alittle more detail.
Study Summary:
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis found that obese and lean twins have different gut microbial communities. By transplanting gut microbiota from these twins into germ-free mice, they observed significant weight gain in mice that received the microbiota from the obese twin, despite identical diets <NIH>.
Time to start the CER process…
I am going to do this a-little different compared to the generic way an argumentation is done and i want to start with gathering evidence and giving reasoning before making my claim. This will allow me to see the evidence and from that create a valid and predictable claim.
Evidence 1:The study sequenced the gut bacteria of 31 pairs of identical twins and found an apparent difference in microbial communities between the obese and the lean twins. The obese twins had a higher proportion of certain bacteria that are efficient at extracting energy from food, which can contribute to weight gain.
Reasoning 1: It would seem from this that the combination of our gut microbiota affects how well our bodies store energy from food. The presence of bacteria that are more effective at extracting energy from fat show us that these germs may contribute to weight gain by enhancing the absorption of calories.
Evidence 2: Gut microbiota from obese twins were moved into germ-free mice, these mice gained more weight compared to mice that received microbiota from lean twins. Both groups of mice were fed the same diet, yet their weight were different based on the gut bacteria they received
Reasoning 2:This demonstrates that gut microbiota can influence weight gain on its own, independent of diet and genetics. The gut bacteria from obese individuals likely have characteristics that promote fat storage and weight gain, emphasizing the important role of microbial communities in obesity.
Evidence 3: Further analysis revealed that the obese twins’ microbiota had reduced bacterial diversity compared to their lean counterparts. High diversity in gut bacteria is positively correlated with better metabolic health and resilience against obesity
Reasoning 3:Lower diversity in the gut microbiome can lead to an imbalance in which the bad and harmful bacteira outweigh the beneficial ones, potentially disrupting metabolic processes. This imbalance can cause increased fat storage and weight gain, as seen in the obese twins.
The moment we have been waiting for…. The CLAIM:
The make up and variety of different types of gut microbiomes greatly affects and influences body weight and obesity. Differences in gut microbial communities between organisms (as we saw in twin studies) show that even with the same genetics and diet, the gut microbiome can play a very important role in determining an individual’s likelihood for obesity and overall health.