The role and influence of gut microbiota in pathogenesis and management of obesity and metabolic syndrome.

Parth J Parekh,Eli Arusi,David A Johnson,Aaron I Vinik

doi:10.3389/fendo.2014.00047

Parth J Parekh, Eli Arusi + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2014.00047

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Journal: Frontier in Endocrinology	Publication Date: Apr 7, 2014
Citations: 95	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: Eastern Virginia Medical School

Abstract

The obesity epidemic has drastically impacted the state of health care in the United States. Aside from poor diet hygiene and genetics, there are many other factors thought to play a role in the emergence of obesity and the metabolic syndrome. There has been a paradigm shift toward further investigating the gut microbiota and its implications in the pathogenesis of a variety of disease states, including inflammatory bowel disease, Clostridium difficile, and most recently obesity and the metabolic syndrome. This article is intended to evaluate the role of gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of obesity and metabolic syndrome and its influence in future management.

Highlights

The obesity epidemic has spread to more than 1/3 of the adult population in the United States
In 2012, Lin et al evaluated the effects of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) administration in mice with the premise being that SCFAs regulate gut hormones via free fatty acid receptors 2 (FFAR2) and 3 (FFAR3) protecting against diet-induced obesity and the development of insulin resistance [7]
Cani et al evaluated the effect of Bifidobacterium in modulating the inflammatory tone and the development of insulin resistance and obesity [29]. They found that the addition of Bifidobacterium antagonized the pro-inflammatory state produced by the gut microbiota in response to a high-fat diet, which would normally predispose an individual to insulin resistance and obesity

Summary

Introduction

The obesity epidemic has spread to more than 1/3 of the adult population in the United States. The investigators found that alteration of the gut microbiome in germ-free mice with microbiota harvested from conventionally raised, genetically obese mice resulted in a 60% increase in body fat, and the development of insulin resistance within 2 weeks irrespective of reduced consumption (by 29%) and increased activity (by 27%) when compared to germ-free mice whose microbiome was unaltered.

Results

Conclusion