- Evidence is building that a healthy, diverse gut microbiome can benefit health.
- Studies have shown that people and animals with obesity often have a less diverse microbiome than those of a healthy weight.
- Now, research from China suggests that intermittent energy restriction (IER) — which involves eating normally on some days and eating a very restricted diet, or fasting, on others — not only helps people lose weight but may also alter their microbiome.
- This small, observational study shows only an association between weight loss and microbiome changes, rather than any causative effects.
Recently, research has found increasing evidence of the potential effects of the
The microbiome consists of bacteria, archaea, viruses and eukaryotic microbes that live in and on our bodies. A healthy adult will house around 1000 different species of bacteria, the majority of which are in the gut.
In most people, the
Now, a small study from China has suggested that intermittent energy restriction (IER), as well as helping people with obesity to lose weight, may alter their gut microbiota.
The study is published in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology.
As part of the…
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