Zeitschrift für Adipositas- und Gewichtsverlusttherapie

Abstrakt

Beneficial Bacteria Stimulate Youthful Thyroid Gland Activity

Bernard J Varian, Theofilos Poutahidis, Tatiana Levkovich, Yassin M Ibrahim, Jessica R Lakritz, Antonis Chatzigiagkos, Abigail Scherer-Hoock, Eric J Alm and Susan E Erdman

Healthful aging with active participation in society are global public health priorities. Sender physique and high productivity levels absent clinical disease are widely recognized features of healthful aging. During studies of obesity in mice, we found that feeding of a purified probiotic microbe, Lactobacillus reuteri, forestalled typical old age-associated weight gain and lethargy, and instead conveyed physical features of much younger mice. We hypothesized that these retained features of youth may be related to increased thyroid gland activity. We subsequently discovered elevated levels of serum T4 and larger thyroid glands in slender one-year-old recipients of probiotic microbes, when compared with their age-matched obese control subjects. Oral L. reuteri treatment also preserved thyroid follicle epithelial height, a key histologic feature of thyroid gland activity, which relied mechanistically upon bacteria-triggered anti-inflammatory CD25+ regulatory T cells. These data from animal models suggest that probiotic microbe supplementation may be used to stimulate beneficial host immune interactions with improved thyroid function and more healthful aging.