Actually today’s study — Inflammasome-mediated dysbiosis regulates progression of NAFLD and obesity — looks fascinating. In it, researchers find that their mouse studies suggest that “gut microbiota are associated with exacerbated hepatic steatosis and inflammation” and that “co-housing of inflammasome-deficient mice with wild-type mice results in exacerbation of hepatic steatosis and obesity.”
Very interesting! And useful, if it turns out that, as suggested by other studies, the gut plays an important role in obesity. (Frankly, I’d welcome the prospect of fecal transplant as obesity treatment over pharmacology or weight-loss surgery.)
No, what’s annoying about this is of course the media write up. Here’s the lede from the industry blurb:
We’ve heard obesity can be “spread” between friends when we copy each other’s eating habits, but a new study in mice suggests obesity could actually be infectious.
That’s right, infectious. As in, something you can catch.
Thanks media … nothing like fanning the flames of fat stigma!
Weight Maven is written by Beth Mazur. Beth believes that obesity is more symptom than cause and that the real problem is our Western diet -- especially sugar, refined grains, and industrial oils. Beth writes about nutrition, ancestral health & food policy. And cats! 
