Health: A Probiotic Treatment for Obesity?/NewsELA

A Probiotic Treatment for Obesity? Alterations in the gut microbiota — the microorganisms residing in the gastrointestinal tract — have been implicated in the development of obesity and other chronic diseases. Sean Davies, Ph.D., and colleagues previously reported a strategy for engineering gut microbiota to produce beneficial compounds that combat obesity. They showed that administration of bacteria engineered to produce NAPEs, a family of bioactive lipids with known anti-obesity properties, inhibited weight gain and other adverse effects of a high-fat diet in mice. In their earlier studies, they pre-treated the mice with antibiotics and administered the engineered bacteria for eight weeks. Now, they have found that less onerous protocols — no antibiotics and only two weeks of bacteria — still impart resistance to diet-induced obesity and sustained NAPE biosynthesis. In addition, they had success using a human NAPE-producing enzyme. The findings, reported in Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, support further studies of engineered bacteria that produce beneficial compounds as a treatment strategy for obesity and other chronic diseases. This research was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health (grants AT007830, DK059637). NewsELA: Climate activist plans travel by boat to leave a smaller carbon footprint STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Greta Thunberg is a Swedish teenager leading the charge in Europe against climate change. She has mastered the use of social media to spread her message about environmental activism. She inspired tens of thousands of students in Europe to skip classes to protest climate change. They are demanding faster action against climate change. She made an announcement on Monday, July 29. She plans to take her message to America the old-fashioned way: by boat. Sailing For America The 16-year-old tweeted that she'll sail across the Atlantic aboard a high-tech racing yacht. She'll leave Britain in August. First, she'll attend a United Nations (U.N.) climate summit in New York in September. Then, she'll go to a summit in Santiago, Chile, in December. The U.N. is a group of 193 nations. It has climate summits to encourage and provide plans for member nations to tackle climate change. Thunberg has long shunned planes because of their high greenhouse gas emissions. Like gas-consuming cars, they burn fossil fuels. Fossil fuels release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when burned. That carbon dioxide gets trapped in the earth's atmosphere. It has led to climate change and drives global warming. Europe's Generation Of Young Eco-Activists Thunberg started her "school strikes" in August 2018. In that time she has appeared before policymakers at last year's U.N. climate conference in Poland. She's also pressured business and political leaders at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. She even met with Pope Francis. The pope praised Thunberg's efforts and encouraged her to continue campaigning. Thunberg is little known in the United States. In Europe, she has arguably become the leader for a new generation of eco-activists. Europe's young people are worried that they'll suffer the fallout from the decisions of generations before them. In this case, older generations are not moving quickly enough to address runaway climate change. Martin Kaiser runs an environmental nonprofit in Germany. He said Thunberg has led a change in the climate debate because her activism connects with so many young people. It's not just that she's popular, he said. She also knows the science well and has inspired others to learn, too. America's Tough Audience Thunberg said she's unsure how her message will be received in the United States. The U.S. is second in the world in total carbon emissions. That's the amount of carbon dioxide put into the atmosphere. Still, many Americans are against the kind of extreme measures scientists say are required to limit global warming. "I will just try to go on as I have before," the young Swede said. "Just always refer to the science and we'll just see what happens." Thunberg wouldn't rule out meeting with President Donald Trump. He wants the U.S. to withdraw from the 2015 Paris climate accord. The global agreement set goals and measures to tackle the climate crisis. She appeared doubtful such a meeting with the president would happen. She thinks it would be "just a waste of time." "As it looks now, I don't think so, because I have nothing to say to him," she told the AP. "He obviously doesn't listen to the science and the scientists. So why should I, a child with no proper education, be able to convince him?" Other Stops In North And South America After New York, Thunberg intends to travel to the annual U.N. climate conference in December in Chile. It is a country in South America. She will make stops in Canada, Mexico and other countries along the way. She'll travel by train and bus. "I haven't experienced anything like this before," Thunberg said, a giggle breaking her normally serious demeanor. "I think this will be a trip to remember." Thunberg will be setting a very high bar for the activists and leaders attending the U.N. conferences. Most of them will likely be coming by plane. "I'm not saying that people should stop flying," she said. "I'm just saying it needs to be easier to be climate neutral."