Roundworm May Offer Alternative to Bariatric Surgery

Research suggests that intentional infection with nematodes (commonly known as roundworms) may prove useful in the fight against obesity. Aiping Zhao of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and colleagues tested the effect of nematode infection on mice fed a high-fat diet. Results showed that infected mice of normal body weight gained 15% less weight than mice that were not infected. While Mice that were already obese when infected lost approximately 13% of their body weight within 10-days. Infection also significantly lowered fasting blood glucose and reduced fatty liver disease. Further investigation revealed that infection improved glucose metabolism and lowered levels of insulin and the appetite-controlling hormone leptin, "indicating that the mice restored their sensitivities to both hormones," says Zhao. The encouraging findings led the authors to conclude: “Parasitic nematode infection has both preventive and therapeutic effects against the development of obesity and associated features of metabolic dysfunction in mice… Our study suggested that nematodes or their products might be useful as therapeutic agents for the treatment of obesity and metabolic diseases.”