Britain is the fattest nation in Europe 'because of the cold climate'

  • Gut bugs that raise the risk of obesity thrive in low temperatures
  • This could explain why 25% of UK women and 22% of UK men are obese
  • In humans, obesity is associated with two different types of bacteria normally found in the intestine - the Bacteroidetes and the Firmicutes
  • Obese people tend to have more Firmicutes and fewer Bacteroidetes
  • People further from the equator also have more of the bad microbes - Firmicutes - and less of the fat-busting ones - Bacteroidetes
PUBLISHED: 00:04, 12 February 2014 | UPDATED: 00:04, 12 February 2014
British people are the fattest in Europe because of the cold climate, according to new research.
Scientists say gut bugs that raise the risk of obesity thrive where the temperature is lowest.
It may help explain why almost a quarter of UK women, and more than 22 per cent of men, are obese.
Britain is the fattest national in Europe because of the cold climate, new research suggests
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Britain is the fattest national in Europe because of the cold climate, new research suggests
In humans obesity is associated with two types of bacteria normally found in the intestine - the Bacteroidetes and the Firmicutes. Obese people have more of the latter and fewer of the former.
Now, a study of 1,020 healthy people from 23 countries, including the UK, has found those further from the equator have more of the bad microbes and less of the fat-busting ones.
Graduate student Taichi Suzuki, who conducted the study with evolutionary biologist Dr Michael Worobey, said: ‘Since there is evidence humans have adapted to colder climates by increasing their body mass, we tested whether Firmicutes increase and Bacteroidetes decrease with latitude.
 

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‘We found a trend that humans living in colder regions tend to have more obese associated gut microbial community compared to warmer regions. This suggests “healthy microbiota” may differ in different geographic regions.’
In earlier research by other U.S. scientists, experiments on mice bred to be genetically obese found the relative proportion of Bacteroidetes compared with Firmicutes was also less.
Lab animals with no gut bacteria then had either Bacteroidetes or Firmicutes injected into their digestive systems and while both groups then gained weight, the weight gain with Firmicutes was significantly higher.
The researchers say gut bugs that raise the risk of obesity thrive where the temperature is lowest
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The researchers say gut bugs that raise the risk of obesity thrive where the temperature is lowest
Remarkably, when obese humans were put on a diet, the same group found the proportion of Firmicutes decreased, and Bacteroidetes increased, in line with their loss of body fat.
It is believed the type of bug found to be dominant in obese people may be more efficient at 'harvesting energy' from food in their intestines.
Mr Suzuki, of the University of California Berkeley, who worked with Dr Worobey, of the University of Arizona, added: ‘It seems plausible an increase in energy extraction and fat storage may be more important for animals in colder regions compared with animals in warmer regions as an environmental adaptation to climate.
‘This surprising link between large scale geography and human gut microbial composition merits further investigation.’
The study is published in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2556969/Britain-fattest-nation-Europe-cold-climate.html#ixzz2t6Wn0VOw
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