Do You Have More Bacteroidetes than Firmicutes? If So, It Could Be Causing Your Weight Gain and Erection Issues

Written by: Steven Schlosser
Published 09/09/2015
Updated: 09/09/2015

In his book titled The Big Lie of Obesity, Dr. Alan Christianson asserts that weight gain is not caused by laziness or overeating. It’s actually triggered by how your body reacts to stress. When you experience stress, your body will store extra calories to prepare for possible famine. This mechanism can lead to weight gain over time.

Environmental stressors can be hidden or obvious. One invisible stressor is the gut flora in our digestive system. In a recent study, researchers at Cornell University found that changing the intestinal bacteria in mice could alter their weight by as much as 15 percent. This can lead to other health problems such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and erection issues. Previous studies have shown that this association may also exist in humans. In fact, researchers were able to trigger obesity by transplanting gut flora from obese humans into normal-weight mice.

Why bacteria can cause weight gain and how to prevent it
The first important thing to realize is that nearly all of our intestinal bacteria is anaerobic. In fact, 99 percent of the microorganisms in our intestinal tract cannot use oxygen. It’s important to understand this because probiotic pills and foods that include healthy intestinal flora only contain aerobic microorganisms that use oxygen. These foods and supplements have no effect on anaerobic bacteria.

There are two particularly significant types of anaerobic bacteria: Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. Recent research suggests that if you have more Bacteroidetes than Firmicutes, you’ll have less body fat. Remember, if you want your body to be firm and cute, you need to get rid of your Firmicutes.

Intestinal flora can affect your weight because they regulate fat absorption. If identical twins with different bacterial balances eat exactly 2,000 calories per day, the one with more Firmicutes will absorb extra calories and gain weight. What has caused this troubling change? In the past few decades, we started using antimicrobial soaps. These products kill both good and bad bacteria. We’re also exposed to more environmental toxins. Environmental toxins kill all types of bacteria.

Many of us also lead very stressful lives. Emotional stress triggers the release of hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. This reduces the blood supply to your intestinal tract, making it difficult for your body to properly balance intestinal bacteria. Over time, you have fewer Bacteroidetes and you gain weight. This can lead to other health problems, including erection dysfunction.

Fortunately, there are some things you can do to fix the problem:

1. Be sure to eat plenty of low fat, high fiber foods. Firmicutes thrive on fat, which can lead to weight gain.
2. Limit processed carbs and sugar. Firmicutes grow rampantly in an environment filled with sugar.
3. Eat more beans. This nutritious food has been shown to help raise Bacteroidetes levels.
4. Eat and sleep on a schedule. Studies have shown that erratic meal times can hurt your good intestinal bacteria.

In the past, weight loss involved strenuous dieting and deprivation. It was not fun or effective. Now we know that if you want to maintain a healthy weight, you have to be in harmony with the world around you. If you want to lose weight and prevent erectile dysfunction, start by balancing your intestinal flora.