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Intestinal flora in the north differently than in the south

Influence of latitudes on human intestinal flora

02/12/2014

According to US researchers, the number of bacteria in the human gut varies depending on the climate zone. In colder regions, locals tend to be more obese than in warmer climes. This is an advantage as less heat is lost with higher weight.

Evolutionary sense
According to a study, the human intestinal flora could also vary with the respective climatic zones. Like American researchers in the „Biology Letters“ According to the British Royal Society, on average, in colder regions, there are more bacteria causing greater weight. This makes sense from an evolutionary point of view, since less heat is lost in living beings with higher weight, because in them the ratio between surface and volume is more favorable.

Bacteria strains that determine the weight
The two scientists Taichi Suzuki from the University of California at Berkeley and Michael Worobey from the University of Arizona in Tucson had taken into account the data of a total of 1,020 subjects from 23 countries in six previous studies. The focus was on Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, two strains of bacteria in the human gut that help determine a person's weight. Earlier studies had shown that the likelihood of morbid overweight (obesity) increases with increasing proportion of Firmicutes and dwindling proportion of Bacteroidetes bacteria.

Relationship between latitude and place of residence
In addition, the data analysis revealed that there is a connection between latitude of the respective place of residence and the share of Firmicutes. Thus, a test subject had more of the tiny ones „fattening foods“ on average in the digestive tract, the cooler its residential region was. The proportion of Bacteroidetes declined, but not in the same strength.

Effective fat burning important in colder regions
The super-efficient Firmicutes can convert almost all food components into nutritious sugar and fat molecules and even fiber is almost completely used. The consequence of this is that people with a higher proportion of Firmicutes in the gut gain more weight, the researchers said. „Effective fat burning and nutrient conversion is more important to people living in colder regions than in warmer climates.“ (Sb)