Gut Microbiota Interventions for the Management of Obesity: A Literature Review

Abstract

The gut microbiota (GM) has been recognized as an important factor in the development of metabolic diseases such as obesity; it has been reported that the composition of the GM differs in obese and lean subjects, suggesting that microbiota dysbiosis can contribute to changes in body weight. Dysbiosis occurs due to an imbalance in the composition of gut bacteria, changes in the metabolic process, or changes in the distribution of microbiota within the gut. Dysbiosis can change the functioning of the intestinal barrier and the gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT). Microbial manipulation may help with preventing or treating weight gain and associated comorbidities. Approaches to this may range from dietary manipulation, which is suitable to treat the individual's microflora, to probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and fecal microbiota transplant (FMT).

Keywords: dysbiosis; gut; gut microbiome; gut microbiota; intestinal microbiota; metabolism; microbiota; obesity; probiotics and microbiome; scfa.

Figure 1. Changes in intestinal microbiota due to different triggers ultimately affecting weight storage and metabolic health in mice

Adapted from [16] HFD: high-fat diet; LPL: lipoprotein lipase