Research
Mixed
Gut microbiota from high-fat diet-fed individuals can transmit obesity-related traits, including increased adiposity and inflammation, to germ-free recipients.
Your gut bacteria can influence your body's fat storage and inflammation levels. While you cannot directly 'transfer' bacteria from others, maintaining a healthy gut microbiome through a balanced diet is crucial for preventing obesity-related metabolic issues.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Transfer of obese-prone but not obese-resistant microbiota to germ-free mice replicated the characteristics of the obese-prone phenotype, increased weight gain and adiposity, intestinal permeability, and inflammation, and enhanced lipogenesis and adipogenesis.
Why this rating
Strong evidence from mouse models, though human translation is less direct.
Source
Influence of high-fat diet on gut microbiota
E. Angela Murphy et al. · Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care · 2015
DOI 10.1097/mco.0000000000000209
narrative_reviewCited 494×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- High-fat diet consumption induces gut microbiota dysbiosis (decreased Bacteroidetes, increased Firmicutes), which promotes obesity and chronic disease risk through enhanced energy harvest and gut permeability.Good
- Therapeutic targeting of the gut microbiome using probiotics, prebiotics, or specific dietary components can reduce obesity and metabolic disturbances in high-fat diet models.Moderate
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