Gut biome possibly influencing decisions on what to eat

[Montero]

Study done on flies. How it happens is not clear, but gut bacteria do seem to affect their behaviour.

How Gut Bacteria Tell Their Hosts What to Eat

By suppressing or increasing cravings, microbes help the brain decide what foods the body “needs.”

getpocket.com

 

[mosaix]

Interesting. My daughter suffers from ulcerative colitis, thought to have links to gut bacteria problems. The medication to suppress the symptoms makes her hungry all the time.

 

[THX1138]

@mosaix Have you noticed any change to the types of food she is craving due to the effect of the medication, outside of dietary limitations from the ulcerative colitis?

 

[mosaix]

@mosaix Have you noticed any change to the types of food she is craving due to the effect of the medication, outside of dietary limitations from the ulcerative colitis?

Not really @THX1138. She doesn’t live at home so it’s difficult for me to tell.

Basically she feels hungry all the time. Before she was diagnosed she weighed maybe 9 stone now I would say she’s more like 15.

The whole thing has taught be not to be judgemental about over weight people.

 

[THX1138]

Not really @THX1138. She doesn’t live at home so it’s difficult for me to tell.

Basically she feels hungry all the time. Before she was diagnosed she weighed maybe 9 stone now I would say she’s more like 15.

The whole thing has taught be not to be judgemental about over weight people.

True! Hope all goes well with her.

 

[Robert Zwilling]

There are several standard drugs that cause people to become overweight.

Gut biome aids or compromises the digestive process. It's part of the system.

It has bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa, plus another class of creatures that use them to reproduce, such as phages.

Originally all people knew about was what was bad for us. We are only now beginning to understand the complexity of the digestive system and what is in it, the good, the bad, and the sometimes okay or not so okay.

A simple check of the internet shows estimates of from 200 to 1,000 different types of life in the gut biome. More than likely it is in the thousands. Not everyone has the same things inside of them which complicates the situation. Because they interact with each other and the body by chemicals they create before, during, and after eating, there are probably way too many results to know exactly what is happening at this time.

The bottom line is that not everyone can eat what everyone else is eating. Sometimes when people don't like to eat something, there is a very good reason why they shouldn't be eating it.

 

[Danny McG]

There are several standard drugs that cause people to become overweight

I discussed this with my wife and mentioned 2 of the 5 prescription items I take daily, her comment:-
"Danny, you were a greedy fat git before you started on those meds, nothing has changed so don't look for excuses"

 

[Foxbat]

Many years ago, I had Bell’s Palsy and had to a course of steroids. I was hungry all the time and used to have two breakfasts before I felt satisfied. My particular craving was always for the same thing every morning: baked beans, omelette and toast smothered in butter. Very weird.

 

[Montero]

I think we're only just starting to understand how complicated the human body is and it's amazing that medications work as well as they do.