Are you desperate enough to undergo a faecal transplant?

Yep, that’s exactly what it sounds like. Faeces (poo) from a donor is transplanted into your gut.

I can see this working on many levels. For example, I would be so grossed out at the mere thought of a poo transplant that I would not be able eat. That would lead to rapid weight loss.

But, jokes aside, there is some serious science behind this. It seems that there are differences in the “gut flora” of lean and obese individuals. “Gut flora” is a fancy term for the bacteria that live in your gut.

So the question is this: If you transplant the gut flora from a lean person into the gut of a fatso does that lead to weight loss? It works in mice and Alex Khoruts, at the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis is planning to try it out on humans. (New Scientist, “Faecal transplant eases symptoms of Parkinson's”, 19 January 2011, by Anil Ananthaswamy)

As the title of the article suggests, poo transplants may also relieve the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and other autoimmune diseases.

So if you’re really desperate to shed those excess kilos consider a poo transplant.

Please understand that I am NOT advocating poo transplants. I am merely informing people of possible new options for those who want to slim down.

Steven:

If you've got the body of a God, Buddha, - then I guess you'd be willing to try anything to lose weight, however for me this little ditty says it all: "If its yellow, let it mellow, if its brown flush it down!"

Found it interesting.
And as a combatant in the weight war would look at it.
It truth most of us not knowing would have eaten it and drank worse.
Only about ten kg to go, get it of then back on but if this works we will have a pill for it one day.

Basic reasons for overweight:

1. Excessive food intake.
2. Exercise imbalance.
3. Genetic predisposition. (metabolism deficiency).
4. Genetic gender predisposition (Women carry 30% more weight than men, by comparison).
5. Drug regime (Pharmacological).

Steven:

Here's another controversial idea that may be of interest:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Cannibalism-Anthropophagi-the-answer-to-eliminating-famine

How desperate are you to lose weight?..I don't know, Iam all pic-it-tee-pow:).....how big is your arse?:)

BLUE

LOL Deep Blue I reckon you follow Belly around LOL in hysterics

People may laugh at this, but I found it exceptionally interesting. There is an emerging field of what regulates metabolism, including the role of 'gasotransmitters', which include hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and nitric oxide (NO). Hydrogen sulfide is produced by gut bacteria, among other gases and is often responsible for the smell of bad breath as well as flatus. (Nitric oxide is responsible for erections, among other things and is the effect produced by the drug Viagra)

Now, what if some of these 'nasty' gut bacteria were producing chemicals that mimic 'native' regulatory metabolic signals? It could produce a situation where someone would be more susceptible to weight gain.

It is fairly well established that many native hunter gatherer type peoples have 'thrifty' type metabolic genetic backgrounds, which predisposes them to diabetes and obesity when fed a 'Western' type modern high-energy diet. But that doesn't necessarily relate to this.

Anyway, without going off on many other tangents I can also see how this might relate to Parkinsons, but that would be a subject for another time.

Very interesting Steven, many thanks.

weareunique,...don't be cheeky:)

BLUE

WAU I had not noticed.
Hope it is not too hot to sleep there.
Steve gave us an interesting thread,not one we should turn in to satire but it is begging to be.
I am not huge but use a system that works.
I diet hard but eat well fruit and veg.
One day, just maybe,we will see adds as hard on weight as the smoking ones.
It costs us as much in hospital bills and deaths, so why not?
I use this, it works, look at every very over weight person, remind your self,it should never be you.
Self indulgence is the very reverse obese people live shorter more lessor lives lives.
Know believe me know as an over weight person I include me in this, we fatys reward our selves by lieing, saying rubbish things like I deserve this.
Thanks Steve,

Hi Steven..where've you been ?

Lexi.. I checked your link... interesting about human behavior.

History of Cannibalism

In the 1930’s a study was done on the Bantu and Bemba tribes of Rhodesia showing that during the lowest food yielding time of year the people became less willing to share their food not only with others in the tribe but there closest relatives as well.

Does ANYone see relevance to 'multiculturalism' ? :)

Don't want to hijack the thread.. just chew on that thought.

I gain weight during winter from too much (enjoyable) bread n cream cheese consumption+lack of exercise.. "too dark..too cold.. too comfy in the recliner"

Spring and summer.. it takes 3 heavy burn out circuit workouts a week to keep it off. I usually stop the bread during 'get the winter weight off' periods.

Hi Belly, AGIR

There is some evidence that “weight cycling” – losing then putting on weight – is actually worse than being slightly overweight.

See this link from the American NIH.

http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/PDFs/wtcycling2bw.pdf

Bugsy,

This is fascinating isn’t it? I’m especially intrigued by the possible link between gut bacteria and diseases like MS and Parkinson’s. That seems to have come right out of left field.

Belly wrote:

>>One day, just maybe,we will see adds as hard on weight as the smoking ones.>>

It seems to me the missing ingredient from all health care programs is exercise. My own completely unscientific observations during my time in the insurance industry leads me to conclude that a physically active person who is a little overweight (BMI 25 – 30) will live longer and have fewer illnesses than a normal weight (BMI 18-25) couch potato.

Maybe we ought to tax TV watching. See:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11427103

Steven I am aware of the research on people who take it of then put it back on again.
It no longer is me.
In my case over eating was driven by extreme stress 17 hour days and driving most of it.
Very early morning starts 3am or 4, and food on the run ,wrong food.
Over weight, grossly so, I never put myself in that Field ] and those like I get to.
Use pure lies to justify over eating.
Its a little reward I earned, save me cooking when I get home, just this once, long endless list.
I am eating out of my garden as much as I can and buying the fruits and vegs I have not got.
Working like a navee and its all good.
But should that product become available in drink form count me in Coffee any one.

Belly,

Tell me about it. Stress will do that to you.

In 1995 I weighed in at 78-79 Kg. Then we decided to emigrate. By the turn of the century I was at 103 Kg. Largely because of the stress of migration I added 24 Kg.

I’m happy to say that today I’m back below 80. I weigh myself every morning on an electronic scale. So long as the left-most digit is a 7 I’m OK.

Part of my program was to sell my car and go everywhere on a bicycle.

So I sympathise fully with your tale.

Steven I once tipped the scales at 132,yep sad,then went down to 100 and Doc said stop you need to keep that frame.
Put about 5 back then took it off and will not stop until about 90 this time and keep it there.
stress kills as quickly and as many as fat.
I feel I have the right, including myself,to insult many who are eating them selves to death but under my breath. yet blame big bones and fate only.
I see room to put the blame on personal issues but it is still in our hands.
Some truly beautiful women I have known have turned in to blimps covered in gallons of make up in just a few years after wedding, some men eating for comfort live like white mice in a kitchen .
Sorry but they feed my drive to stay on track, rude as it seems under My breath not publicly I use their inability to feed my determination.
Still interesting future concept, anything can happen and it looks sound.
After all who once would have thought the common willow tree would not just give us cricket bats but the worlds most used pill the Asprin?

Yes, a possibility of a link between gut bacteria and neurodegenerative diseases is certainly a mindblower. "Left-field" is an understatement.

However, I recently went to a seminar (I cannot remember the name of the speaker, sorry) on some of the latest research on what might contribute or cause some of these diseases, especially in ageing, and it seems that amyloid protein plaque formation is a major one. Amlyoid fibrils tend to form from incorrectly folded proteins, and protein folding disruption is exacerbated by 'oxidative' (redox or reduction/oxidation) stress which apparently can increase with age.

This I would think could be the link with gut bacteria and perhaps their nasty dissolved gases and metabolites that cause 'oxidative stress'. This is all purely conjecture mind you, as there is a lot of research to be done, however if faecal transplants work, then they work and we have to find out why.

There is also certain undercurrent that is gaining momentum lately in medical research in the possibility that many forms of cancer may also be 'transmissable' in that it may be caused by latent retroviruses that lay dormant for years and thus are very difficult to detect.

The new era of genomic medicine will sort out a lot of this sort of thing, as what used to be just dismissed as 'genetic background' (and thus not treatable) will be able to be checked.

Thanks Bugsy I found that interesting any links you care to post, stuff I could understand?
No way I understand at your level but we do farm gut Bactria in some ways now.

Belly, I don't have any links for the bacterial stuff, but here's one for amyloid diseases:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110120124953.htm

If bacterial cultures contribute to oxidative stress, which is plausible and should be investigated, then that would be a direct link to these sorts of diseases.

Ageing and metabolic diseases are the next big thing to be cracked, and I think much progress will happen soon, especially when personal genome sequencing could become routine. On another thread many people expressed concern about genome sequencing with health insurance etc, however I think that the benefits will far outweigh the drawbacks.

Thank you, will read, at my age the people one or even that and a half decades in front of me seem to be looking at such.
I am in no panic but find interest in a future I will not see.
And in every thing I will.