Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 31: A groundbreaking study has revealed that a single dose of healthy gut bacteria, delivered via a capsule, may offer long-term protection against metabolic syndrome — a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

Published in Nature Communications, the research was conducted by scientists at the University of Auckland and involved 87 obese adolescents. The study tested whether faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) — the transfer of beneficial gut bacteria from healthy donors — could improve health outcomes when delivered in pill form.

While the participants didn’t experience weight loss, the most striking result was the sustained improvement in metabolic markers. Those who received the gut bacteria capsule saw a significant drop in the risk factors that define metabolic syndrome: high blood pressure, blood sugar, triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, and excess belly fat.

Professor Wayne Cutfield of the University’s Liggins Institute said, “More than a third of the teens had metabolic syndrome. What’s impressive is that just a single FMT treatment dramatically reduced those risks — and the effect lasted at least four years.”

Four years after the treatment, the healthy bacteria were still thriving in the guts of the recipients, according to co-author Professor Justin O’Sullivan. He described the study as a major step toward “programming the microbiome” to prevent chronic conditions before they emerge.

“This work paves the way for next-generation probiotics — not just supplements, but powerful therapeutic tools tailored to specific conditions,” he added.

Researchers now aim to develop a super blend of bacteria to target and prevent metabolic syndrome — potentially offering a revolutionary approach to long-term metabolic and cardiovascular health.