Why some bacteria make you colder and fatter
Adipose Tissue‐Resident <i>Sphingomonas Paucimobilis</i> Suppresses Adaptive Thermogenesis by Reducing 15‐HETE Production and Inhibiting AMPK Pathway
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
A bad gut bacterium called Sphingomonas paucimobilis can move to fat tissue and block a chemical (15-HETE) that helps your body burn energy to stay warm. Without it, your fat can't burn calories well. People with higher body weight have less of this chemical.
Surprising Findings
Sphingomonas paucimobilis, not E. coli, specifically blocks fat burning—even though E. coli is far more common in the gut.
Most people assume all gut bacteria are equally harmful or helpful, but this study shows one rare bacterium has a unique, targeted effect on metabolism.
Practical Takeaways
Reduce chronic inflammation by cutting ultra-processed foods, sugar, and seed oils—since LPS (a bacterial toxin) triggers this pathway.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
A bad gut bacterium called Sphingomonas paucimobilis can move to fat tissue and block a chemical (15-HETE) that helps your body burn energy to stay warm. Without it, your fat can't burn calories well. People with higher body weight have less of this chemical.
Surprising Findings
Sphingomonas paucimobilis, not E. coli, specifically blocks fat burning—even though E. coli is far more common in the gut.
Most people assume all gut bacteria are equally harmful or helpful, but this study shows one rare bacterium has a unique, targeted effect on metabolism.
Practical Takeaways
Reduce chronic inflammation by cutting ultra-processed foods, sugar, and seed oils—since LPS (a bacterial toxin) triggers this pathway.
Publication
Journal
Advanced Science
Year
2024
Authors
Yucheng Zhu, Ruiqi Yang, Zhangchao Deng, Bohua Deng, Kun Zhao, Chen Dai, Gang Wei, YanJiang Wang, Jinshui Zheng, Zhuqing Ren, Wentao Lv, Yingping Xiao, Zhinan Mei, Tongxing Song
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Claims (8)
The belly fat in mice makes a lot of a heat-boosting chemical when it’s cold—but when the mice are inflamed or have this bacteria, that fat stops making it, while other fat types don’t change as much.
In mice, a type of gut bacteria called Sphingomonas paucimobilis moves to belly fat during inflammation and blocks the body’s ability to burn calories for heat by interfering with a key fat-burning chemical and its signaling pathway.
When mice were made sick with a bacterial toxin, they got colder in the cold—but so did mice that were fed a specific gut bacteria, even though they ate the same amount and didn’t gain weight.
People who are overweight or obese tend to have less of a specific fat-related chemical (15-HETE) in their blood than lean people, and the more weight they have, the less of this chemical they have.
Scientists found that a fat chemical (15-HETE) physically sticks to a key energy sensor (AMPK) in fat cells, turning it on and helping the cells burn more energy to make heat.