H.Pylori bacteria in your stomach may protect against obesity

Could you imagine that certain bacteria in your stomach could help you stay slim? Yes, research now proves that heliobacter pylori, which is the cause for stomach ulcers also prevents weight gain.

It is estimated that 50 per cent of the global population may be infected with H pylori; however, only 20 per cent of infected people experience symptoms. (Read: How obesity, satisfaction and where you live are linked)

New evidence suggests that patients treated for the infection developed significant weight gain compared to subjects with untreated H pylori colonisation. By reviewing data taken from forty-nine studies with data from ten European countries, Japan, the US and Australia, Professor Gerald Holtmann from the University of Queensland identified a correlation between prevalence rates for H pylori and obesity. (Read: Can genes hold the key in battling obesity pandemic?)

'The rate of obesity and overweight were inversely and significantly correlated with the prevalence of H pylori infection,' said Holtmann. 'The gradual decrease of the H pylori colonisation observed in recent decades could be causally related to the obesity endemic observed in the Western world,' Holtmann said. The study was published in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics. (Read: 6 surprising things that are making you fat (Gallery))

Source: PTI

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