A group of biologists from Oxford University found that the likelihood of developing anorexia depends not only on psychological factors, but also on the composition of the human intestinal microflora. The results of their research are published in a scientific journal Frontiers in Psychiatry…
During the experiment, the researchers transplanted human microflora with anorexia into the intestines of mice, which had been previously cleaned of bacteria. As a result, the rodents began to gain weight much more slowly, became more anxious and impulsive. At the same time, the animals that were transplanted with the microflora of healthy people behaved normally.
“This suggests that changes in the microflora can cause some of the symptoms of anorexia in its carriers,” explained one of the authors of the work, Ana Genchulescu.
She clarified that the microflora of carriers of anorexia was, on average, less diverse than that of healthy people.
Researchers believe that in the future, anorexia can be suppressed if the organism of its carriers is cleansed of microflora and bacteria are replaced by healthy people.
In August 2019, an international team of scientists found out that anorexia is a hybrid disease, which is caused by both psychological and physiological factors, including metabolic disorders.
