Overweight and obese people might be able to start losing weight by consuming beneficial bacteria after a discovery by scientists at a top medical institution in Shanghai, who aim to use the findings to develop a new weight-loss drug.

Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, or BT, a bacteria that resides in and dominates the human intestinal tract, was found to be able to lower fat content in the diet and slow down weight gain, according to researchers from the Shanghai National Clinical Research Center for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases at Shanghai Ruijin Hospital.

The discovery, published online by the scientific journal Nature Medicine, has opened the door for further studies on the bacteria's employment in food and drugs that are expected to help lose weight, though more research still needs to be done to test its safety and efficiency.