Phages, poop, obesity, and diabetes — together at last
Published May 4, 2020
Fecal transplants could reduce obesity and even diabetes — so found those shifty Danes at the University of Copenhagen. Instead of the bacteria in the poop, though, it’s the bacteriophages that need to make the move. (They’re viruses that attack bacteria, and you’ll be hearing plenty more about them, for sure.) Each type of phage typically targets a single type of bacteria. So the phages in healthy poop seem to be killing unhealthy bacteria in the transplantee’s gut. And when you make the gut biome healthier, good things happen.“When we transmit virus particles from the faeces of lean mice to obese ones, the obese mice put on significantly less weight compared to those that do not receive transplanted faeces.” The method also seems to protect the mice against developing glucose intolerance.
