English
Français CA
“I think the biggest innovations of the 21st century will be at the intersection of biology and technology. A new era is beginning.”
– Steve Jobs
The Science
More bacteria than human
There are more bacteria than human cells in our bodies.
The majority of these bacteria reside in our gut.
_1.png)
Origins in infancy
_1.png)
The composition of the gut microbiota at the age of 2 years can serve as a predictor of obesity at the age of 12 years.
It is likely that obesity-related intestinal dysbiosis has its origins in infancy, as early as 3–6 months after birth.
The two most dominant bacterial strains in the gut are Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes – this ratio becomes unbalanced in the obese with a shift towards the former.
The obese phenotype
Furthermore, the obese have consistently demonstrated a decrease in diversity and richness of microbiota.
Beneficial microbiotas including Bifidobacterium, anti-inflammatory Faecalibacterium, and butyrate-producing Ruminococcaceae display a significant reduction in the obese, whereas Bacillus and potential opportunistic pathogens such as Fusobacterium and Escherichia-Shigella a dramatic increase.
The proof
.png)
A seminal experiment in 2014 demonstrated that in mice twins, an unfavorable microbiota in one of the two caused a greater increase in fat mass despite no significant differences in energy intake between the animals.
In simple terms, it demonstrated that the same calories may make one individual fatter and have no effect on the other. This individual response in genetically identical twins was dictated by the composition of the gut flora….
Obesity-Related Genes
The result of the obese phenotype is that there is an enrichment in certain genes involved in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism and a significant decrease in genes involved in glucose and essential amino acids.
Short-chain fatty acids
.png)
Gut bacteria produce metabolites known as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) via fermentation of undigested dietary fibers. Some of the SCFAs are used by the certain cells in the intestine for energy, whilst the rest are transported around the body to various organs, where they act either as substrate or else signaling molecules with key G-protein coupled receptors (GPR).
These latter are abundant in adipocytes (i.e. fat cells), intestinal immune cells, and epithelial cells (cells that come from surfaces of your body, such as your skin, blood vessels, urinary tract, or organs).
There is a correlation between SCFA production and a decrease in body fat.
Neuropeptides synthesized in hypothalamus
The various SCFAs differentially impact the various GPRs. In response the hypothalamus increases the secretion of various neuropeptides.
Neuropeptide PYY inhibits gastric emptying, gut transit time, and appetite.
GLP-1 stimulates insulin secretion.
The simultaneous increase of PYY and GLP-1 acts to lessen gut motility (the movement of food from the mouth through the throat, esophagus, stomach, small and large intestines and out of the body), support satiety, and repress energy intake.
Together they trigger the expression of leptin (the so-called satiety hormone) from adipocytes. Leptin acts on the hypothalamus causing a decrease in food intake by inhibiting the release of neuropeptide Y (NPY), whilst also increasing metabolic rate and thus energy expenditure.
.png)
Anti-obesity
.png)
The purpose of supplementation with probiotics is to shift the balance of microbiota towards a more favorable profile, to increase the production of SCFAs.
Not all is understood about the mechanisms through which probiotics act. It is known however that different strains of probiotics have different results. Some in particular have more potent anti-obesity properties.
In designing Syn-Fit, the most powerful known anti-obesity probiotics were incorporated into the multi-strain formula, at doses which have been shown to be highly effective for fat loss. These probiotics were then combined with a powerful prebiotic that occurs naturally in certain plants such as onion, chicory, garlic, asparagus, banana, and artichoke.
The result is a highly potent synbiotic for accelerated fat loss.