Altering mix of gut microbes prevents obesity, but diet remains key factor
The mix of microbes living inside the gut can protect against obesity, but a healthy diet is critical, according to School of Medicine scientists who transplanted intestinal microbes from obese and lean twins into mice and fed the animals different diets. Pictured are researchers Vanessa Ridaura, a graduate student, and Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD, director of the Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology.
Obesity doesn’t reduce chance of getting pregnant with donor eggs
Obese women who use donor eggs to become pregnant through in vitro fertilization are just as likely to become pregnant as normal weight women, according to a new report. Pictured is the study’s first author, Emily Jungheim, MD, left, observing as Mary Bade uses assisted reproductive technology to inject a single sperm into an egg.
Weight-loss surgery safe for less obese patients
A new study by Esteban Varela, MD, shows that adjustable gastric banding, a type of weight loss surgery that reduces the size of the stomach, is safe in people who are mildly obese.