Scientists are set to test what could be a rather unusual answer to the
obesity crisis - freeze-dried poo.
Twenty obese people will be given
capsules that include several grams of the stool from a lean, healthy donor.
They will take the capsules every week for six weeks, while maintaining their normal eating and health habits.
Researchers will then track the patients' weight and health at three, six, 12 months, and possibly beyond depending on how the trial goes.
The trial is being led by Elaine Yu, an assistant professor and clinical researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital.
She told technology website
Ars Technica that she and colleagues are 'cautiously optimistic'.
But, she added: "We have no idea what the result will be".
The poo-packed pills are designed to replace a person's intestinal microbes with those from a donor via their feces.
This method has proven effective in a number of animal studies and some anecdotal data in humans.
Researchers previously transplanted gut microbes from a set of twins - one lean, one obese - into two sets of microbe-free mice.
All the mice were on the same diet, but those receiving the
obese twin’s microbes became chubby and the mice that got the lean twin's mix stayed slim.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/science/freeze-dried-poo-pills-could-7152488?
Home
