Just how important is your GI tract? [paywall]
Colleen Kelly, a gastroenterologist at the Miriam Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, has carried out around 200 faecal transplants for people with C. difficile infections. In 2010, he gave a transplant to a 32-year-old woman whose teenage daughter was the donor. The girl was borderline obese, says Kelly, but otherwise healthy. The transplant was a success and cleared up the woman’s C. difficile infection.
Around a year later the woman returned, complaining of massive weight gain. She had always been a normal weight, but had become obese despite diet and exercise regimes – even a medically supervised liquid protein diet. “She said she felt like there was a switch inside her body,” says Kelly. “No matter how much she ate or exercised, she couldn’t take the weight off. She’s still overweight now, and she’s very frustrated.”
A single incident is not a scientific study, but it is fascinating, especially having a spouse who is overweight – the despair of failure, despite all of her efforts, including surgery, is frustrating to watch. Is it possible to just … ummmm … offer her some shit and watch her finally win?
The article even talks about anecdotal evidence of mental health issues disappearing after a transplant. Again, the lack of science makes it impossible to come to any conclusions – but it may be the first echo of an amazing advance! (NewScientist, 16 Feb 2015)
