The bacteria that lives in all of our guts may explain why we’re fat. Farmers fatten up their livestock by feeding them antibiotics and when we eat meat and poultry, this may make US fat too.
When scientists fed young mice a steady low dose of antibiotics, they altered the composition of the bacteria in the animals’ guts. This changed the way they broke down the food they ate and made them fatter.
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We all know that snacking before bed can pile on the pounds, but new research suggests that it can actually CHANGE the part of your brain that controls your desire to eat, so that you have a permanent, GENETIC desire to snack late at night. But soon we may be able to take an injection to avoid gaining weight!
At the University of Texas, researchers trained mice to eat at a time when they normally wouldn’t and found that it turned on their body-clock genes in a particular area of the brain. Even when the food stopped coming, the genes continued to activate at the new, expected mealtime.
So is there any way to genetically condition ourselves NOT to eat? Scientists are working on it.
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Newswise – Babies who gain weight rapidly during their very first weekof life may be more likely to be overweight as young adults.And while there?s no question that being overweight is badfor your health, being underweight can lead to healthproblems, too, especially as you get older. Researcherssuspect that infants who are not breastfed, or who aren’tbreastfed long enough, may be prone to develop Type IIdiabetes. A new study suggests that the first week of lifemay be a critical period for setting lifelong patterns ofbody weight.
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Are you thin or fat? If you squirm, fidget and tap your toesand fingers, you’re probably thin. If you’re always findingsomething to do, like shopping or cleaning the basement, andrarely sit down and watch TV, you’re also probably thin. Allthese activities boost your NEAT?your “non-exercise activitythermogenesis.”
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