PhotoWhether a diet works might depend on which bacteria are in your gut. Using feces samples, Danish researchers analyzed the ratio of two gut bacteria, Prevotella and Bacteroides, in 62 overweight people. For 26 weeks, they randomly assigned them to a low-fat diet high in fiber, fruits, vegetables and whole grains or a diet comparable to that of the average Dane. Those on the regular diet with a high Prevotella ratio lost four pounds, compared with five and a half pounds for those with a low Prevotella ratio, a statistically insignificant difference. “You can’t go and get this done now, but within a reasonable amount of time it might be a possibility.”

Source: New York Times September 15, 2017 20:26 UTC