While microbes can cause sickness, researchers at Taichung Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan discovered that some microorganism in human feces also has curative properties against diabetes. Dr. Wu Junying said that they had an initial animal testing and found out that tens of millions of these microscopic organisms can combat blood sugar. Junying also stressed that they used big-data technology to analyze fecal micro bacteria.
To recall, Japanese experts also started a similar research in 2014 but the result was sidelined after a lukewarm reception from the health community. What the team referred to as "gut bacteria" was found to be essential in boosting the immune system. Further, digestive functions were greatly affected by fecal bacteria.
The research concluded that fecal bacteria is an important modifier of obesity and diabetes. What health experts previously missed is how live gut bacteria and microbiota plays along the diabetes patients' system. Gram-positive gut bacteria were found to be lower among control subjects as opposed to those with diabetes, according to a research paper published in the American Diabetes Association.
Another test that supports these findings was conducted by Dr. Alexander Khoruts who also utilized fecal bacteria to treat diabetes. Khoruts called the procedure as "fecal transplant." Basically, trillions of bacteria were reintroduced to the patient to create diversity.
According to the University of Minnesota gastroenterologist, people with diabetes have more diverse microbial activity in their guts as opposed to those without the ailment. Such diversity is needed to effectively aid digestion. Subsequently, those with better digestion possess normal insulin sensitivity.
Dr. Khoruts explained that lesser fecal microbes hamper the ability to communicate to the brain effectively. The signal for hunger become more prevalent, leading to overeating and eventually diabetes. Khoruts stressed that fecal transplant is important to prevent these false hunger signals. Together with a healthy diet, the fecal transplant is believed to have the potential in reviving the normal eating habits of people even those with type 2 diabetes.
