A new study may have uncovered how obesity leads to diabetes — and it has to do with the bugs that live in and on your body.

Obese people have different bacteria colonies on their bodies than healthy-weight people, say researchers. Now, a new study in the journal mBio indicates these bacteria colonies could be one factor in the metabolic changes and chronic inflammation that lead to diabetes.

Microbiologists at the University of Iowa found that when rabbits are chronically exposed to a toxin produced by staph bacteria — a superbug found in higher concentrations on the skin of people who are obese — they develop the hallmarks of type 2 diabetes: insulin resistance, glucose intolerance and inflammation.

“What we are finding is that as people gain weight, they are increasingly likely to be colonized by staph bacteria — to have large numbers of these bacteria living on the surface of their skin,” says lead researcher Patrick Schlievert, professor of microbiology at the university, in a statement. “People who are colonized by staph bacteria are being chronically exposed to the superantigens the bacteria are producing.”

“These staph colonies change the ecology of our body biomes — the balance between healthy and unhealthy bacteria on our skin and in our digestive tracts,” says Schlievert.

The good news is that you can empower your body biome and help it fight back against these invaders by feeding your gut bacteria the foods they — and you — need to stay healthy. Here are some of the best foods for your gut — a selection of the best superfoods from my latest book, Zero Belly Diet.