# **G**ut Microbe Diversity, Weight Linked  A genetic mapping study of intestinal bacteria shows that people with fewer and less diverse bacteria are at greater risk of obesity and associated diseases**.** By Chris Palmer | August 29, 2013 ![[Gut Microbe Diversity and Weight__Gut_Microbe_Diversity,_Weight_Linked__The_Scientist_Magazine®__unknown_filename.jpeg]] WIKIMEDIA, [MATTOSAURUS](http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diverse_e_Coli.png) Individuals with fewer numbers of so-called “good” bacteria are more likely to be obese and develop obesity-related ailments such as type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease**.** That’s according to research conducted by the international MetaHIT consortium published Thursday (August 29) in [_Nature_](http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v500/n7464/full/nature12506.html) **.** The MetaHIT team analyzed the genomes of gut bacteria from 123 non-obese and 169 obese Danish individuals**.** The resulting quantitative metagenomic analysis revealed stark differences between people with high versus low bacterial diversity**.** Individuals with more diversity had an average of 580,000 different microbial genes, compared to just 380,000 among the nearly 25 percent of the cohort with reduced diversity**.** Obesity was more prevalent in the reduced diversity population, as was increased resistance to insulin and higher levels of inflammatory agents and white blood cells**.** “We also see that if you belong to the group with less intestinal bacteria and have already developed obesity, you will also gain more weight over a number of years,” Oluf Pederson, a geneticist at the University of Copenhagen, said in a [statement](http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-08/uoc-oif082313.php) **.** “We don’t know what came first, the chicken or the egg, but one thing is certain: it is a vicious circle that poses a health threat**.**” Just six bacterial species appeared to protect against obesity, providing researchers with potential therapeutic targets to fight excessive weight gain**.**