To the Editor: Pham and colleagues commented on the effects of probiotics; however, not much is known about the impact of probiotics on weight gain and obesity. It is known that a predominance of certain bacteria, such as Lactobacillus, in the bowel can promote weight gain. Many of these bacteria are found in probiotic products.
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- Department of Microbiology, Canberra Hospital, Canberra, ACT.
Correspondence: sanjaya.senanayake@act.gov.au
- 1. Pham M, Lemberg DA, Day AS. Probiotics: sorting the evidence from the myths. Med J Aust 2008; 188: 304-308. <MJA full text>
- 2. Bajzer M, Seeley RJ. Physiology: obesity and gut flora. Nature 2006; 444: 1009-1010.
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- 4. Turnbaugh PJ, Ley RE, Mahowald MA, et al. An obesity-associated gut microbiome with increased capacity for energy harvest. Nature 2006; 444: 1027-1031.
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