The Key To Weight Loss May Lie In The Gut

Researchers believe they may have found the answer to why some people can lose and maintain weight while others cannot. They believe the answer lies in the gut. Australian researchers at the Garvan Institute are currently undertaking the PREDICT clinical trial, led by Dr Dorit Samocha-Bonet and Professor Jerry Greenfield. While the study focuses on improving the treatment of diabetes and prediabetes, the findings could also help those who struggle with their weight, and could potentially revolutionise the longstanding one-size-fits-all approach to dieting and medicine.

The PREDICT study draws on research conducted by their collaborators at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, which found gut microbiota plays a significant role in determining what foods will cause blood sugar levels to spike. This research found different foods can have dramatically different effects on blood sugar levels for different people. Even more surprising were findings that people who share similar blood sugar levels after eating the same food also have similar signatures of gut microbiome, the collective genomes of the microorganisms.