to hopeful treatment for irritable bowel syndrome and even Crohn's disease. My adult daughter is suffering with IBD. It can be very debilitating and the current 'first-line' medication is enormously expensive.

My meds were over $1,000 mo at one time. If you are interested pm me and I'll give you a forum website to help her. It's not a woo site and nothing for sale, very friendly and they have been very helpful to me. Just an FYI.

<The researchers found no changes in weight in either group after six weeks. Vrieze said they had expected some weight loss since it was seen in animal models, but it proved not to be the case in humans.>

The standard steroid medication, that alone makes you 'blow up'.

transcribe a medical report in which the patient wasn't obese. It appeared as if more than 99% of sick people in this country are obese.

I do take issue with the statement that every person who is not obese has a 2% chance of becoming obese because of their sedentary lifestyle - the implication is that there is no one in America who does not have a sedentary lifestyle. I for one am never sedentary.

But not everyone has those symptoms.

Fecal transplant may be the next option for me (I've been through 3 antibiotics trying to get rid of an antibiotic caused c-diff infection). I have a very persistent version (obviously), but the symptoms do not include vomiting and what is traditionally recognized as diarrhea - to the point where they can't actually test whether I have c-diff most of the time because the test requires a classic c-diff stool and I don't produce those.

I'd err on the safe side and get a stool from a normal weight donor.

In any case, I hope you find a permanent cure to your symptoms soon.

But my medical zebras are kicking in, as usual. The symptoms were so atypical that they started out looking for IBD or cancer. Even after diagnosis and 2 rounds of treatment, where the symptoms vanished (or mostly vanished) in response to antibiotics, when I got to the infectious disease doc for round #3 he was sure I was misdiagnosed . . . until the test came back positive. And the symptoms mostly vanished 3 days in to round 3 of meds. So I think he's convinced I'm just atypical.

But this little critter is really persistent. I can tell it is not completely gone, but I'm hoping the yeastie beasties I'm consuming will keep it from recolonizing. Again.

They've been suspecting things like this for years, that obesity is increased by gut bacteria. They also know about adenovirus serotype 36 and its ability to convert muscle tissue to fat.

If dieting and exercise worked, no one in the US would be fat. No one wants to be shamed, ridiculed and shunned for having the wrong body shape.

Maybe now they'll start to study how the gut is colonized and by what and that will finally give us a treatment for exogenous obesity.

The diet industry offers only a temporary fix, the weight plus more coming back within 5 years.

When I diet and exercise, I only lose about 1/3 of the weight I need to lose and then it just stops no matter what. The only thing that really worked was phen-fen which of course is possibly fatal. I'm sure the bacteria in the gut has a lot to do with weight gain and how one's body processes food.

but she died a few years later of kidney cancer. I always suspected it was the phen-fen.

And you've offered some terrific analysis of the contagion-like spread of obesity.

Always sounded reasonable to me. Glad to see some hard validation of the argument!

damned few people in the US would be fat. No one chooses it.

Something besides calories in and burned has had to be at work.

Hut, more sedentary lives from computers, TVs, cars recently. Indian friends have said the same when they visit there, going on 15+ years.
As many realize, western influence in the last 20-50 years depending where you live includes agricultural chems from fertilizer to GMO glyphosate; toxins in plastics like phthalates, bisphenol A that get into food and beverages, even personal care products from plastic wrap, plates & utensils, burger wrapper, containers, cans, etc.

Many of these chems plus overuse of antibiotic-germ killers have to impact the human gut and who knows what else. Antiseptics, antibiotics and pesticides like Triclosan are in some toothpaste, mouthrinse, shampoo, bandaides and soaps. All of this stuff gets into the soil, air and water from ag runoff, dishwashers, showering.

Whatever is causing obesity it's new and it's got to stop. None of my parents, grandparents, great grandparents, schoolmates, friends, 28 aunts and uncles and 36 cousins had/have obesity in youth or midlife, didn't happen. Before my boomer generation, for them there was little to no fast, processed junk food or sugar and many fewer chems in the environment. The plump ones were/are 50+ and rare.

because none of your ideas explain Mexico or the rest of Central America.

The little bastards!

region - which may relate to why native populations from different regions have different rates of obesity. I wish I were able to explain better, or link to some of the studies, that were discussed but I'm not a medical person & wouldn't be able to do it justice. Very interesting field with interesting findings/results.

and spread out from there.

The same pattern occurred in Mexico, which now surpasses the US in obesity rate.

And don't try to tell me they live on fast food and don't get any exercise in Mexico!

as following exactly the same pattern as a contagious illness. I honestly think that is a very large part of why obesity is epidemic now.

As for the root cause, there are many. Finally admitting the infectious component is the first real hope we have of finding a cure besides self starvation that does not work.

diseases like breast, prostate and colon cancer? And the chronic autoimmune issues, allergies, IBS, autism?

It's always been clear to me it's not all about calories in > calories used = obesity.

There has to be so much more to it! I hadn't heard about this theory until now, but it is very interesting.

since that may be my next treatment option. (Battling c-diff for 5 months.)

This treatment is promising, they'll figure it out. I have a young relative with UC who could benefit, here's hoping. There's also Heminth Therapy related to Diseases of Affluence. Best of luck.

And, if I end up with a fecal transplant for c-diff before she gets one for UC, she's gonna be really pissed.

She's been looking for open studies on fecal transplants for UC that are either local - or will take people willing to travel (she's already participated in one drug trial she had to travel for).

Death beats the hell out of c-diff, too, IMO.

Take the transplant, you'll get your life back.

I'm in the fingers crossed stage. I got about 4 weeks of relief out of antibiotic #2. I'm 11 days off of antibiotic #3 (at $209/pill for 20 pills). I only expected to get 10 days - so I'm one ahead so far...

Fortunately, my particular variety still beats death.

I really have a tough time with stool transplants. Yes, it does wonders for those suffering, but I would have NEVER considered stools as being part of ANY medical treatment. I suppose this means the gods of karma are now rolling the dice and laughing about my future need of stool transplants - and I thought a colonoscopy and that prostrate treatment was the nadir of my life.

They work too :0). I think I'd go for a healthy stool transplant first, I've even thought about it. I think they may be on to something with this but I find that mast cells are involved too. For some of us it would probably not hurt but we may be too far gone...meaning, possibly there has been damage done that can't be repaired.

The treatment was done with cattle in 1958 and maybe much earlier in Asia. For bowel illness, asthma, autism and other conditions it may have so many benefits it's worth it. To me, it's no grosser than blood transfusions or organ transplants. And the essence of 'organic' in vogue now! I jest somewhat-

Oh, and those people giving bleach enemas to autistic kids think so.

But nobody remotely credible.

of Autism abated is what I read. Clear that you dispute or disagree. I don't follow conspirators, quacks, or Autism per se. Most medical studies for this treatment so far are for IBS, UC, Crohn's, C.-Difficile ; this may expand in the future as the importance of healthy gut microbes is studied.

Not bleach enemas, but a connection between gut, brain, and autoimmune disorders.

play with the critic who swept in or look into posed autism quack stories and legitimate research right now. I'm helping a relative with congestive heart failure, and following the UC studies for a niece. Since you mention it, I recall reading years back that intestinal issues and food sensitivities occur with some autistic people. Thanks for all the info. (There's a lot of fur flying lately about autism b/c of the vax issue. Autism is not a research topic of mine).
It's highly plausible that a biological basis for autism, and many other conditions exists. There was an article a week ago about a new study indicating that inflammation of the brain is related to depression. And I'm sure you know of MIT senior staff researcher, Dr. Stephanie? who's written of GMO glyphosate interfering with sulfides and metabolism in humans especially regarding autism and influencing its rapid rise.

and not to me! You must think I'm nuts, dang. Time to hit the hay soon.

I didn't notice anything particularly odd about it.

which is entirely natural and planned by design of the human body. Only maybe 10% of the cells you carry are actually yours by genetic inheritance. The rest is bacteria from your mother and the environment.

If so, that might lead to a universal obesity cure.

So it can be a GOOD thing!

NEEDED that!

I was thinking the exact same thing.

Is this stool taken

Isn't it rather likely that because she is feeling better and her GI problems went away, she has a better appetite and is able to keep the food down?
They are trying to make some sort of connection with the bacteria from an obese person, but there is an alternative explanation that could easily explain why she gained weight.