Freeze-dried faecal pills could treat obesity
Scientists are planning a clinical trial where 20 obese people will take freeze-dried faecal pills each day to see if it helps them to lose weight.
The study , to take place this year, involves fecal samples taken from healthy donors, freeze dried, and distributed in pill form. Feces contains microbes that, once transplanted, can be used to effectively treat gut infections. There is also some evidence that suggests that these microbes could affect body weight.
In a 2013 study, mice underwent intestinal microbe transplants taken from four sets of human twins. One twin was of healthy weight and the other was obese. The mice who received an obese twin’s microbes gained weight, no matter their diet.
Other research has found that heritable strains of gut microbiotas can influence obesity.
If all goes well, this study may mean that microbe treatments could be used as a method to treat obesity.
What do you think of this idea? Would the potential benefits of this 'medicine' make it easier to stomach?
I've been fat for over 40 years, and even on a current strict diet of 700 cals a day, I am barely losing anything. At age 67, I have everything to lose and nothing to gain, (don't mind the pun). So I am happy to give it a go.