Abstract
The gut microbiota and their metabolites, e.g., short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), are associated with obesity. The primary aims were to study faecal SCFA levels and the changes in SCFA levels after weight-loss interventions in subjects with obesity, and secondarily, to study factors associated with the faecal SCFA levels. In total, 90 subjects (men / women: 15/75) with a mean age of 44.4 (SD 8.4) years, BMI 41.7 (SD 3.7) kg/m2 and morbid obesity (BMI > 40 or > 35 kg/m2 with obesity-related complications) were included. Faecal SCFA and other variables were measured at inclusion and after a six-month conservative weight-loss intervention followed by bariatric surgery (Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or gastric sleeve). Six months after surgery, the total amount of SCFA was reduced, the total and relative amounts of the main straight SCFA (acetic-, propionic-, and butyric- acids) were reduced, and the total and relative amounts of branched SCFA (isobutyric-, isovaleric-, and isocaproic- acids) were increased. The changes indicate a shift toward a proteolytic fermentation pattern with unfavorable health effects. The amount of SCFA was associated with the diet but not with metabolic markers or makers of the faecal microbiota composition. Dietary interventions could counteract the unfavorable effects.
Highlights
The gut microbiota and their metabolites, e.g., short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), have health-related effects and have been associated with a wide range of disorders [1,2]
An imbalance in the pattern, e.g., in the saccharolytic fermentation characterized by an increase in the main straight SCFA versus the proteolytic fermentation, characterized by an increase in the branched SCFA, may signify alterations in the microbial functions that may be associated with either gut health or disease [1,2,6,7,8,9]
Consecutive subjects with morbid obesity referred to Innlandet Hospital Trust, Gjøvik, Norway for evaluation of bariatric surgery were evaluated for inclusion in this prospective cohort study
Summary
The gut microbiota and their metabolites, e.g., short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), have health-related effects and have been associated with a wide range of disorders [1,2]. An imbalance in the pattern, e.g., in the saccharolytic fermentation characterized by an increase in the main straight SCFA (acetic-, propionic, and butyric- acids) versus the proteolytic fermentation, characterized by an increase in the branched SCFA (isobutyric- isovaleric-, and isocaproicacids), may signify alterations in the microbial functions that may be associated with either gut health or disease [1,2,6,7,8,9]. Knowledge of faecal SCFA in subjects with morbid obesity and the changes after a combined conservative and surgical intervention is limited [4,10,11,12,13,14]. An unbalance in the SCFA pattern before or after weight-reducing treatment might have unfavorable health effects that necessitate interventions
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