Fish Oil: Obesity May Be Lower In Individuals Who Take This Supplement

A team of researchers at the University of Gothenburg found that fish oil and a diet rich in lard or animal fat, including such foods as bacon, may produce varying results that can alter the composition of the gut bacteria in many different ways.

"We wanted to determine whether gut microbes directly contribute to the metabolic differences associated with diets rich in healthy and unhealthy fats," says first study author Robert Caesar of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. "Our goal is to identify interventions for optimizing metabolic health in humans."

The findings, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, examined mice wthat lived off a diet of either fish oil or lard for about 11 weeks. Mice on the lard diet had more Bilophila bacteria in their gut, which is associated with inflammation. On the other hand, those on the fish oil diet had elevated levels of Akkermansia muciniphila bacteria, which has been linked to decreased weight gain and an enhanced metabolic process of glucose.

After this, the researchers performed "fecal transplants" to examine the bacteria and to see if the bacteria from those fed fish oil could benefit those who received the lard diet. The researchers found that the gut bacteria helped to identify health problems and helped the mice on the lard diet recover, as well.  

"Our paper supports previous reports indicating the bacteria Akkermansia muciniphila is a promoter of a healthy phenotype," concludes senior author Fredrik Bäckhed. "However, further investigations will be needed to determine if this bacteria can be used as probiotic strain and, in that case, how it should be combined with diet to optimize health outcomes."

Related Articles

Fish Oil And Schizophrenia: Supplement May Prevent Psychosis

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).