Author: Tine Jess

Summary
Obesity is a major health issue worldwide. Obesity and its causes are a puzzle; each piece makes our understanding of the causative factors more complete. Dietary and genetic factors have but partial roles in the development of obesity, which is why the focus in recent years has turned to the trillions of microbes residing in the human intestine and their possible effect on energy harvest and metabolic signaling. Early life is a critical period both for the establishment of the intestinal microbiota and for metabolic development. The authors found that subtherapeutic antibiotic treatment of young mice altered their microbiota and body composition. The study provides evidence for the existence of a critical window in early life, when the intestinal microbiota can influence the development of persisting metabolic traits.