What do diabetes and bugs have in common? According to a new study published in the journal mBio, diabetes could be caused by the bugs that live in and on our bodies. But wait that’s not all: It’s believed that the bacteria colonies (a fancy term for these bugs) are different on the bodies of obese people compared to those of non-obese people. Researchers believe these bugs play a role in metabolic changes and chronic inflammation – both of which can lead to diabetes in the long run.
So, how did the group of microbiologists at the University of Iowa come to this conclusion? After exposing rabbits to staph bacteria – a bug that tends to be higher in obese people – for long periods of time, they ended up developing a few common symptoms of diabetes, such as insulin resistance, glucose intolerance and inflammation.
Patrick Schlievert, lead researcher and professor of microbiology at the University of Iowa said the following in a statement:
“What we are finding is that as people gain weight, they are increasingly likely to be colonized by staph bacteria — to have large numbers of these bacteria living on the surface of their skin. People who are colonized by staph bacteria are being chronically exposed to the superantigens the bacteria are producing. These staph colonies change the ecology of our body biomes — the balance between healthy and unhealthy bacteria on our skin and in our digestive tracts.”
It’s also important to point out that these bugs live in our gut bacteria and the best way to combat them is by eating healthy foods that are particularly good for the gut bacteria, including quinoa, dark chocolate, beans and oatmeal. Happy eating!
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