The small intestine plays a big role in obesity
Relationships between obesity and resistance of tissues such as adipose, muscle, pancreatic or hepatic tissue have been observed in many studies on the subject. But until then, the study of the digestive system was a bit complicated although INSERM, for example, has already made a short film on the link between intestinal flora and obesity (see our corresponding article).
Recently a team of researchers managed to finda precise link between our small intestine and obesity.
The study
The study is French. It was directed by Professor BROT-LAROCHE and Professor CLEMENT. More specifically, this research was conducted by 2 teams, the teams of Edith Brot-Laroche and Armelle Leturque at the Cordeliers Research Center and Karine Clément at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital. The results were published in June 2015 in the international journal Cell Metabolism(1). This study investigated the relationship between small intestine nitre and the occurrence of diabetes and obesity. For this, they harvested a piece of the intestine of185 obesepeople to benefit from bariatric surgery, and having kindly authorized this sample, as well as 33 other people of normal weight, who could benefit from a biopsy of the small intestine for one reason or another.
The results
The results are astonishing. Indeed, it has been founda triplingof the surface of the small intestine (composed of multiple microscopic folds) in the presence of severe diabetes. The consequences of this tripling of surface area arean excessive supply of nutrients from the intestine, causing obesity.
Severe obesity has also been found to disrupt theimmune defensesof the small intestine. This therefore results in a self-worsening of obesity. Immune cells (white blood cells) are much more numerous in the small intestine of obese people than in the intestine of a person of normal weight. “The activation of immune cells located next to the cells responsible for capturing nutrients does not destroy the intestinal mucosa but modifies its functioning,” explain Professors BROT-LAROCHE and CLEMENT.
This study would, in the future, make it possible to prevent obesity a little more, paving the way for non-invasive therapies to reduce inflammation of the intestine. Other studies are also underway on mice, in particular to evaluate the influence of taking anti-inflammatory drugs on reducing metabolic damage related to obesity. Mice respond well to these tests, but it is recalled that anti-inflammatory drugs, in humans, are alsoa source of aggression for the digestive tract.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.