Irish-designed probiotics may help control conditions such as obesity

IRISH scientists have designed probiotics that can be used to modulate the physiology of host fat cells, a finding which could prove useful in controlling conditions such as obesity.

The scientists from the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre (APC) in Cork, University College Cork and Teagasc, have engineered a strain of Lactobacillus to produce a version of a molecule called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).

When this engineered bacterial strain was fed to mice, the researchers found that the composition of the mice’s fat tissue was significantly altered, demonstrating that ingesting live bacteria can influence metabolism at remote sites in the body.