A stomach bacterium believed to cause health problems such
as gastritis, ulcers, and gastric cancer may play a dual role by balancing the
stomach’s ecosystem and controlling body weight and glucose tolerance, according
to immunologists at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute of Virginia Tech.
Usually the villain in studies of gastric cancer and peptic
ulcers, Helicobacter pylori infect about half of the world’s population
although most infected individuals don’t get sick. The bacterium’s dwindling
numbers coincide with the epidemic of obesity and diabetes in developed
countries.