Is Obesity Linked to our Gut Microflora?

A recent Cedar-Sinai study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism in April of 2013 could predict who is obese based on a breath test for hydrogen and methane. The question raised is are there bacteria in the gut that cause obesity by allowing the body to extract calories better. The issue that was not raised is could having these bacteria, in this case M. smithii, be present in obese people because there is something about the environment in the gut that preferentially allows this microbe to overgrow?

Researchers could identify the presence of this microbe because it has the unique ability to create both methane and hydrogen gases, which can be measured using a breath test.

Nonetheless, this is an interesting concept and  it will be interesting to see if they can eradicate M. smithii from the GI tract and cause weight loss.