This Bacteria Causes Fatty Liver Disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is usually considered a lifestyle disease caused by overeating and obesity, with no simple cure.

However, a new study in Nature Communications reveals a type of bacteria that is actually the cause of this disease and is treatable with simple antibiotics.

A team of researchers led by the University of Missouri School of Medicine fed mice a diet high in fat and sugar and then checked the makeup of their gut bacteria.

The mice now had a substantially higher number of bacteria called Blautia producta than the mice on healthier diets did.

Blautia producta is a species of bacteria that is supposed to be present in our intestines. It plays important roles in our health, including regulating inflammation, maintaining the gut barrier function, and producing energy.

However, if there is too much Blautia producta in the intestines, inflammation and fat storage increase. That is what happened to these mice.

The portal vein is a blood vessel that carries blood from the gastrointestinal tract to the liver. These unhealthy bacteria travel to the liver, where they cause inflammation and fat storage. This is how the mice developed NAFLD.

The researchers tested this finding in another study in which they fed the mice antibiotics that could destroy some of the Blautia producta. The antibiotic treatment reduced liver inflammation and the amount of fat stored in the mice livers.

You don’t want to kill Blautia with antibiotics because you need some of it in your gut. Instead, you need to manage its population with better diet choices.

That’s exactly what thousands of readers have done and completely rid themselves of NAFLD permanently. Learn how here…