Although people may indulge in their favorite foods or snacks occasionally, constant food cravings can lead to the development of unhealthy eating habits such as overeating. How can we stop food addiction?
One in eight Americans over the age of 50 (13%) shows signs of food addiction, according to research from the University of Michigan.
Recently, scientists from Lithuania, Japan, Spain and Ireland collaborated to explore the potential of gut microbiota as a therapeutic approach to stop food addiction.
The discovery that could stop food addiction
In a new study, researchers conducted experiments on extreme subpopulations of food-addicted and non-addicted mice.
The scientists used a food addiction model in mice that involved the administration of prebiotics and bacteria Blautia wexlerae. The bacterium is associated in the scientific literature with a low risk of obesity and diabetes, explained Solveiga Samulėnaitė, the author of the study.
“The mice were given drinking water with two different prebiotics (lactulose or rhamnose) and the bacteria Blautia wexlerae”a declared Samulėnaitė.
The results of the experiment turned out to be quite successful, as both the prebiotics and the bacteria seemed to have stopped the development of food addiction. In addition, prebiotics increased the genus population wet in the gut of rodents, the researchers said.
The “miracle” bacteria
In another study, published in 2021 in the journal Gut Microbesthe researchers explained that wet is a genus of anaerobic bacteria with probiotic characteristics that occur widely in the feces and intestines of mammals.
Samulėnaitė states that the results show that gender wet can prevent eating disorders.
“Our research suggests that modulating the gut microbiota with prebiotics or probiotics could be a potential strategy to combat food addiction,” she added.
Using the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) 2.0 criteria, the study aimed to identify signs of gut microbiota variation that might be associated with susceptibility to addiction.
Signs were seen not only in mice but also in humans using the YFAS approach. The gut microbiota was analyzed in people diagnosed with food addiction to identify signs of vulnerability to this condition. To identify susceptibility in humans, differences in the relative abundance of certain bacterial species were observed, such as Blautia wexleraebetween dependent and non-dependent individuals.
Food addiction may soon be treatable
The study found a lower relative abundance of Blautia wexlerae in dependent persons. Samulėnaitė says this finding underscores the importance of gut microbiota, showing that an unhealthy diet that causes various imbalances can be linked to the development of food addiction.
The results were uniformly observed in both mouse and human cohorts, confirming that a certain microbiota profile could be linked to the susceptibility to develop compulsive eating behavior.
The researcher emphasized that the studies demonstrate that the presence of bacteria in the genus wet appears to have a protective effect, reducing the risk of developing food addiction. “The study reveals the potential of the gut microbiota as a therapeutic approach to overcome food addiction,” said Dr Aurelijus Burokas from Lithuania, the leader of the study.
“We need further research to elucidate the exact mechanisms and develop effective treatments or preventive measures based on the microbiota,” he concluded.
The study was published in JOURNAL Gut.
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Source: www.descopera.ro
