research carried out by scientists of the Washington University, Missouri, usa, has shown that microbes are responsible for obesity. It's a good news, because the research indicates that manipulating microbes can control obesity. The study was published in the December 21 issue of the journal Nature (Vol 444 No 7122).

The team tracked 12 obese patients at a university weight loss clinic over a period of a year. Half the patients were on a low-calorie, low-fat diet and the other half were on a low-calorie, low carbohydrate diet.

The human gut has two major groups of bacteria