What’s Good About The Teen Gut

A Duke study finds that obesity in adolescence may be more reversible than previously thought

A young person on a scale looking down at the numbers

The following is a summary of story by Alissa Kocer on Duke School of Medicine.

A new Duke University study suggests that obesity affects teenagers differently than adults. The findings offer hope that the health problems linked to excess weight may be more reversible during adolescence than previously thought. Published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the research found that teenagers retain metabolic flexibility, the body's ability to adapt to changes in energy use and respond to excess weight. Adults largely lose that ability, increasing the risk of lasting metabolic damage.

The research focused on the gut microbiome, the community of microbes living in the digestive tract, and the metabolome, the chemicals produced as the body processes food and energy. Scientists analyzed samples from 287 adolescents.

They found that teens with obesity had different gut microbiomes than their peers at a healthy weight. However, those differences did not appear to drive weight gain the way they do in adults. When researchers transplanted microbiome samples from adolescents into germ-free mice, the mice did not gain extra weight.

The team also found that teenagers showed early signs of metabolic changes associated with obesity. Even so, their bodies still appeared able to adapt and adjust. "The metabolome is showing early signs of disease progression, but it's also showing evidence of adaptive plasticity," said Jessica McCann, senior research associate in molecular genetics and microbiology at Duke.

Researchers say the findings reinforce the importance of treating obesity early. "The evidence increasingly supports intervening as early as possible," said Dr. Sarah Armstrong, Duke professor of pediatrics. The researchers hope the work will lead to more personalized obesity treatments.

To read the full story, go to Duke School of Medicine.