Could These Bacteria Treat Diabetes?

We’ve learned a lot about the bacteria and other microbes that reside in the human gut, and the more we find out, the more we understand how important they are to our health. Experts have only begun to catalog the many species that call our bodies home, and they’ve barely scratched the surface when it comes to identifying which strains are beneficial and which cause disease.

Recently, studies have uncovered a possible connection between imbalances in our gut microbes and metabolic diseases like diabetes, and they may have even pinned down a few of the strains involved. We have the details.

Combatting Effects of the Western Diet

Experts blame the Western diet for many of the metabolic diseases we see in this country, with one of the biggies being diabetes. The exact connections have been fuzzy, although it’s clear that insulin resistance and/or dysfunctions in sugar processing are involved.

Recent studies examining the microbiome’s role in metabolic changes could provide new answers. Researchers compared the gut microbes of healthy subjects to those of diabetics, and they found that the disease may trace back to a handful of bacteria. (Though we urge all to keep in mind that correlation does not necessarily mean causation.)

One Possible Angle in the Future of Diabetes Research

In their study, researchers focused on three strains believed to have metabolic impacts: Lactobacillus gasseri, Lactobacillus johnsonii and Romboutsia ilealis. Both Lactobacillus strains appeared to have positive effects on glucose metabolism, whereas R. ilealis impaired it.

Research on our need to keep a balanced microbiome has shown how important our gut health is. Most of our microscopic guests aren’t even invaders; they’re symbiotes that provide chemical signals necessary for our survival. If they’re not healthy or present in the correct numbers, then we’re not healthy.

One study, examining the effects of fecal transplants from fit, healthy individuals to obese ones, resulted in less insulin resistance. Even six weeks later, the difference was evident, backing the theory that a balanced gut is a key to good metabolic health. Future treatments that focus on fixing microbiome imbalances could offer new approaches for treating diabetes and other metabolic diseases, possibly even obesity.

Diabetes might be even more complicated than most of us ever could have imagined, but it could also be a lot simpler to treat if we can pin it to certain missing microbes and then provide those in a way that lets them repopulate. A closer look at our microbiomes could provide new ways to manage symptoms or even eliminate some disease altogether. We'll keep a watch on this new path for possible treatment and keep you posted.

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