Obesity is caused by consuming more energy and food than the body can expend. But not all bodies use energy with the same efficiency. Shi’s team shows that the parasite changes how efficiently the body uses energy — at least in mice.
How they found it
The researchers chose mice as a model for what might happen to humans. Like humans, mice fed a high-fat diet tend to become obese. These animals can also harbor parasites. The parasite Shea chose to work with, Heligmosomoides polygyrus (Heh-LIG-moh-soh-MOY-ih-dees Pah-lee-GY-rus), is not a hookworm. And it does not live in people. Hookworms, on the other hand, are nematodes (NEE-muh-toad). And this worm is a hookworm-like nematode that infects humans.
The scientists divided the mice into four groups. Both groups were fed a normal diet. The rest ate high-fat meals. The researchers infected a group of mice with nematode larvae on two diets. Shi’s group then measured the growth of the animals up to 105 days.
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