The scent of BBQ instantly makes me think of the summer season…and mouthwatering foods like hot dogs and burgers.

But, even if you consider yourself “fit”, those tasty summer meals could be putting you at risk for poor health down the line.

You see, a shocking new study out of Chicago showed just how bad the typical American diet can be for your gut microbiome…

…and what can happen if it isn’t corrected in enough time.

According to researchers at the University of Chicago Medical Center, they’ve isolated the specific microbes that grow as a result of a diet high in fatty foods and, over-time, lead directly to obesity. (1)

This study is one of the first of its kind to show precisely how the microbes in your bowel regulate your digestion and your body’s ability to absorb fat.

You see, when certain enzymes in your gut break down fat, they increase the speed at which calorie-dense foods (like the kinds you might find at a BBQ) get absorbed.

And if that happens, bacteria are released — and when they hang around for too long, it leads to what the researchers call “over-nutrition”.

But you probably know it better as obesity.

The researchers believe that these bacteria are a key part of a process that makes fat absorption happen at a much quicker rate than usual.

During the study, they decided to focus on the microbiomes in the small intestine, where most of your vitamins and micronutrients are digested and absorbed.

Their initial goal was to find out if the gut microbes that come from your diet had an effect on your body’s ability to absorb fat.

In the study, the scientists used one set of mice that harbored “bad bacteria” in their gut and a second group that didn’t.

Now, the second group of mice with none of the bad bacteria, even when they were fed a high-fat diet, didn’t absorb any of the fatty foods.

But when the researchers examined the first group, what they saw stunned them.

Because the first group of mice not only saw their “bad” bacteria increase — they saw their “good” bacteria significantly decrease, they absorbed more fat AND they gained weight.

A quadruple whammy.

This confirmed what researchers had felt all along — that there’s a direct line between a diet high in calorie-dense foods, poor gut health, and obesity.

This means that if you eat a diet filled with high fat, low nutrient foods, it can have a steep impact on your metabolism…which dramatically increases your risk of weight gain.

Now, even though this study was just completed, the University of Chicago researchers feel there’s something out there right now to help you deal directly with these microbes — probiotics.

They believe what I believe…that probiotics may play an important role in outnumbering those “bad” bacteria and helping ward off obesity.

So, keep your eyes peeled to this newsletter. If there are any updates to this new study, I want you to be the first to know.

And in the meantime, do yourself a favor and make sure you’ve got a high-quality probiotic in your daily routine.

SOURCE: (1) Specific bacteria in the small intestine are crucial for fat absorption: A high-fat diet promotes growth of the microbes that boost lipid digestion and absorption. (2018). ScienceDaily. Retrieved 9 July 2018, from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/1804111316 39.htm