Weight loss is a common goal for many people, and in today’s world, there are all types of supplements that claim to help people do just that. Supplements for weight loss contain different types of drugs that claim to suppress hunger and increase one’s metabolic rate, however, researchers are working on a new method that is not quite a supplement. The newly proposed pill for weight loss has an unusual ingredient -- fecal matter.
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital are toying with the idea that bacteria from the gut of skinny people could help those with obesity lose weight. The hypothesis is that intestinal bacteria plays a huge role in regulating the human metabolism, and that getting these microbes from thin people to give to obese people to ingest will make the obese people lose weight. The researchers have yet to perform a clinical trial, but plan on doing so in the near future. The trial is intended to last 12 weeks, and some participants will be given placebo tablets filled with cocoa. A clinical researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital says that the pills with be double-encapsulated so that they will not release until they reach the large intestine.
Fecal matter has yet been used to treat obesity, but in the past, it has been used to treat an infection called C. Difficle, which is sometimes fatal. Of course, in both these situations, treatment involving fecal matter involves donations. Only from healthy people, of course. While it is unclear where the researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital will get their source of poop, there are various companies that already collect stool samples for therapeutic fecal matter. One company, called OpenBiome, has been collecting and distributing fecal matter since 2013. Just like plasma, sperm, and egg donations, you can get paid for donating stool. OpenBiome pays $40 for one sample (if you fit their requirements) and a $50 bonus if you donate five days a week. OpenBiome is based in Massachusetts and freezes the stool before they distribute it. For more information, visit openbiome.org.
It will be interesting to see if these so-called "poop pills" will help those who are overweight. In the meantime, those that are healthy and the ideal candidate for donations can make some money.
