Effect of Oral Probiotic Supplementation on Gut Inflammation and Related Variables in Individuals with Obesity: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Obesity has become a worldwide concern because of its rapidly increasing prevalence, which affects not only individuals but also society. Recently, the gut microbiota has been reported as a new path to obesity treatment. Probiotics have become the most recognized method to improve the gut microbiota and treat dysbiosis. This study was conducted to review the effect of oral probiotics on body mass index and gut inflammation in individuals with obesity. Systematic literature research was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect databases up to June 23, 2023, to identify eligible articles. The “Advanced Search” option and “All fields” were selected for the following search terms: “obese” AND “probiotic” AND “gut inflammation”. The research from the databases resulted in 136 literature sources, from which only 3 literature sources were included in this review. From the included literature, it was found that the supplementation of oral probiotics in adults, adolescents, and children had no significant effect on the BMI level. The gut inflammation biomarkers also showed a lack of significant change after probiotic consumption compared to the placebo group. Further studies are needed to review the effectiveness of the strain used in the probiotic, the difference in the exact dosage, the duration of intervention, and the side effects of oral probiotic consumption for overweight and obesity.