New Study Links Controversial Gut Organism to Reduced Body Fat

Research indicates elevated levels of Blastocystis in the intestines of individuals with improved cardiometabolic health and healthier dietary habits.
An international study, led by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), analyzed over 50,000 people globally and found that individuals carrying gut Blastocystis—a single-celled entity often considered either a parasite or a benign organism in the digestive system—were associated with signs of better cardiovascular health and reduced body fat. The findings were published in the journal Cell.

“Blastocystis’ effects on health and disease are controversial and likely context-dependent, but our research suggests that it may play a beneficial role in how diet impacts human health and disease,” said co-lead author Long H. Nguyen, MD, MS, a physician investigator in the Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit and Division of Gastroenterology at MGH, and an assistant professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. “At the very least, its ubiquity may suggest a non-pathogenic role.”