Latest news with #microbiota
The Independent
3 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
The surprising health benefits of fecal transplants
Fecal microbiota transplants, used to restore gut health, involve transferring stool from a healthy donor to a recipient. A new University of Chicago study in mice reveals potential long-lasting, unintended health consequences from these transplants due to microorganisms colonizing the entire intestinal tract, creating regional gut mismatches. The study found that transplanted microbes altered intestinal environments, affecting metabolism, behavior, energy balance, and liver function in mice. Researchers advocate for caution and suggest using microorganisms from all regions of the intestine, not just the colon, for transplants. Dr. Eugene Chang, the study's senior author, notes that fecal microbiota transplants can cause changes in host-microbe relationships in different bowel regions that may be difficult to reverse.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
‘Poop transplants' have been happening for decades. Now researchers have identified some unintended consequences
Fecal microbiota transplants are common medical procedures dating back decades that can help restore the gut health of people with colon infections - but scientists now warn of newly discovered consequences from the procedure. The 'poop transplant' is the transfer of the stool of a healthy donor to a recipient. The stool contains beneficial bacteria that can improve the patient's gut bacteria, which guards immune health and helps to regulate metabolism. They are approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat people with common C. diff infections that may cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms and inflammation in hospital patients who have been on antibiotics. Roughly 48,000 procedures are done each year. Now, University of Chicago researchers say a study in mice and experiments with human tissue have revealed some long-lasting and unintended consequences due to transplanting microorganisms from only one section of the digestive tract. 'I think it's a bit of a wakeup call to the field that maybe we shouldn't willy-nilly put large bowel microbes into different parts of the intestine that shouldn't be there,' Dr. Orlando 'Landon' DeLeon, postdoctoral researcher at the university, said in a statement. 'If we're designing good therapeutics, we should be aware of the importance of matching the regional microbiota to their proper environments, so that we provide better overall health benefits.' DeLeon is the lead author of the new research, which was published on Friday in the journal Cell. To reach these conclusions, the authors gave three groups of mice transplants of microorganisms from the middle part of the small intestine that connects to the colon, and a standard fecal transplant from the colon. The test showed that the microorganisms from each transplant were able to colonize the entirety of the intestinal tract in the mice -- not just certain regions. This created what they called regional gut mismatches, lasting for up to three months following a transplant. The microbes also altered their new intestinal environments, 'terraforming' the lining in ways that caused changes in the recipient's metabolism, behavior and energy balance. There were shifts in liver metabolism, including activity in genes associated with immune function. The mice also exhibited different eating behaviors. The gut has several distinct regions with vastly different microbial ecosystems. Imbalances in gut bacteria have been tied to a risk of cancer. 'There are microbes along the entire intestinal tract, and we just study predominately the last third of it (the colon),' DeLeon said. 'So, how can you expect [a transplant], with microbes from a third of the intestinal tract at the end of it, to fix the rest of the intestine?' What this means for human patients may be murky right now, but the authors say more caution is needed with the transplants going forward. They advocate for an approach that would transfer microorganism from all regions of the intestine and not just largely from the colon. In the future, they plan to conduct further study related to how different microbes exert their influence in different parts of the intestine and how the gut regions terraformed by microbiota mismatches can be restored. 'We have absolutely no idea what's in FMT, except that it's a combination of microbes,' Dr. Eugene Chang, the Martin Boyer Professor of Medicine at the university and senior author of the study, said. 'But even a single FMT will cause a change in the host-microbe relationships in these very different regions of the bowel that may be very difficult to reverse.'
Health Line
06-05-2025
- Health
- Health Line
Could Fecal Transplants Help with Weight Loss and Other Metabolic Issues?
Fecal transplants have been successfully used to treat gastrointestinal conditions. Researchers are currently studying whether they may also be used for weight loss and other metabolic issues. A fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) is a procedure that transfers healthy donor stools into a person's intestines for therapeutic purposes. FMTs have been used in the United States since the 1980s. The goal of an FMT is to help reset the bacteria in a person's gastrointestinal tract, which may then subsequently treat related conditions, such as ulcerative colitis (UC) and recurring Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) infections. Researchers are discovering possible connections between gut microbiota imbalances and a variety of health conditions, including metabolic diseases and those associated with weight gain. Researchers theorize that FMT could possibly help treat these conditions. While FMT is not considered a weight loss treatment, researchers are continuing to investigate the possible links between metabolic conditions and a disrupted gut microbiota. This article takes a closer look at these potential connections and what current research has uncovered. Can a fecal microbiota transplant from a lean donor reduce body weight? Medical weight loss may be recommended for a number of metabolic diseases, including obesity and diabetes. Some people might consider FMT if other treatments haven't worked, or if they don't want to use conventional medical interventions, such as weight loss medications or surgeries. The idea here is that resetting the microbiota might help improve overall metabolism and weight loss. What the research has found Recent research suggests that FMT may have some benefits for treating obesity. According to one 2022 review, FMT may potentially reduce insulin resistance and high blood lipids that contribute to obesity. However, the authors of the same clinical review also note that many clinical trials of FMT and metabolic disorders often do not succeed because of ineffective donors. This can make it challenging to discern whether FMT can benefit certain candidates for the treatment. Separately, a 2023 meta-analysis reported that FMT could potentially improve both blood glucose and insulin in people with obesity, and possibly assist in weight loss. The authors also found a correlation between a reduced body mass index (BMI) in participants with obesity and related metabolic diseases after undergoing FMT. Nevertheless, the current literature still has mixed results. One 2022 randomized clinical trial on FMT and bariatric surgery found that FMT had no effect on weight loss from lean fecal transplant donors. Can a fecal microbiota transplant be used for other metabolic diseases? Metabolic diseases are conditions that are thought to develop due to metabolic dysfunction. Overweight and obesity are common examples. Other types of metabolic-related conditions include diabetes and multiple sclerosis (MS). What the research has found Several studies are currently being conducted on the role of FMT in MS and diabetes treatments, as well as other metabolic diseases. However, other research has noted the possible long-term risk of developing metabolic issues after FMT, including obesity. What health disorders have fecal microbiota transplants been used for successfully? While the use of FMTs for metabolic disorders is still being investigated, this treatment does have a record of helping certain GI disorders, including C. diff infections and ulcerative colitis (UC). FMT may help treat C. diff infections by restoring healthy bacteria in the gut microbiota. In particular, a doctor may recommend FMT as a second-line treatment when two rounds of antibiotics fail to clear the infection. Some people may also need more than one course of FMT for recurring C. diff infections. Overall, the success rate is 94% after one or two treatments. Fecal transplantation is also sometimes used in the treatment of UC. In these cases, treatment typically involves a total of four rounds of FMT. The exact success rate of FMT for UC is not as clear as it is for C. diff. Possible future uses for FMT It's not just weight loss and metabolic disorders that are being explored as candidates for FMT. In fact, scientists are also looking at FMT as a possible emerging treatment for a broad spectrum of health issues, including liver disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), mental health conditions, and more. Potential drawbacks of FMT for metabolic disorders While fecal transplants continue to be researched for treating a variety of conditions, there are also some drawbacks to consider. First, while FMT is considered safe overall, the long-term effects are also unknown. The risk of drug resistance and other negative effects appears greater when proper screening of donor samples is not followed. One 2021 review of FMT and its overall safety found that some of the possible short-term side effects included: abdominal pain bloating gas constipation diarrhea bloody stools nausea fever bowel perforations worsening GI disorder symptoms Ironically, the same review found that obesity, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and IBS were all possible long-term adverse effects of FMT. Autoimmune diseases and fatalities were also noted. Also, researchers are unclear whether transferring fecal samples could put recipients at risk of other microbiota-related conditions, such as diabetes. What's more, these FMT treatments are expensive, ranging from $1,600 to $17,000 without insurance. Takeaway FMT is a procedure in which a fecal sample from a healthy donor is given to a person with an unhealthy microbiota. Despite its success in treating C. diff and some cases of UC, scientists still do not fully understand how and why FMT works, and which microbes may be the most beneficial. While early evidence suggests FMT may help people with metabolic issues lose weight and experience better insulin resistance, there isn't enough clinical backing for this to be a mainstream treatment just yet.
