scholarly journals Is It Time to Use Probiotics to Prevent or Treat Obesity?

Nutrients ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Brusaferro ◽  
Rita Cozzali ◽  
Ciriana Orabona ◽  
Anna Biscarini ◽  
Edoardo Farinelli ◽  
...  

In recent years, attention has been given to the role potentially played by gut microbiota in the development of obesity. Several studies have shown that in individuals with obesity, the gut microbiota composition can be significantly different from that of lean individuals, that faecal bacteria can exert a fundamental role in modulating energy metabolism, and that modifications of gut microbiota composition can be associated with increases or reductions of body weight and body mass index. Based on this evidence, manipulation of the gut microbiota with probiotics has been considered a possible method to prevent and treat obesity. However, despite a great amount of data, the use of probiotics to prevent and treat obesity and related problems remains debated. Studies have found that the probiotic effect on body weight and metabolism is strain specific and that only some of the species included in the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera are effective, whereas the use of other strains can be deleterious. However, the dosage, duration of administration, and long-term effects of probiotics administration to prevent overweight and obesity are not known. Further studies are needed before probiotics can be rationally prescribed for the prevention or treatment of obesity. Control of the diet and environmental and life-style factors that favour obesity development remain the best solution to problems related to weight gain.

Author(s):  
Sofia Ainonen ◽  
Mysore V Tejesvi ◽  
Md. Rayhan Mahmud ◽  
Niko Paalanne ◽  
Tytti Pokka ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) is widely used, but the evidence of the long-term effects on the gut microbiota and subsequent health of children is limited. Here, we compared the impacts of perinatal antibiotic exposure and later courses of antibiotic courses on gut microbiota. Methods This was a prospective, controlled cohort study among 100 vaginally delivered infants with different perinatal antibiotic exposures: control (27), IAP (27), postnatal antibiotics (24), and IAP and postnatal antibiotics (22). At 1 year of age, we performed next-generation sequencing of the bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene of fecal samples. Results Exposure to the perinatal antibiotics had a clear impact on the gut microbiota. The abundance of the Bacteroidetes phylum was significantly higher in the control group, whereas the relative abundance of Escherichia coli was significantly lower in the control group. The impact of the perinatal antibiotics on the gut microbiota composition was greater than exposure to later courses of antibiotics (28% of participants). Conclusions Perinatal antibiotic exposure had a marked impact on the gut microbiota at the age of 1 year. The timing of the antibiotic exposure appears to be the critical factor for the changes observed in the gut microbiota. Impact Infants are commonly exposed to IAP and postnatal antibiotics, and later to courses of antibiotics during the first year of life. Perinatal antibiotics have been associated with an altered gut microbiota during the first months of life, whereas the evidence regarding the long-term impact is more limited. Perinatal antibiotic exposure had a marked impact on the infant’s gut microbiota at 1 year of age. Impact of the perinatal antibiotics on the gut microbiota composition was greater than that of the later courses of antibiotics at the age of 1 year.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 2519
Author(s):  
María Juárez-Fernández ◽  
Sara Román-Sagüillo ◽  
David Porras ◽  
María Victoria García-Mediavilla ◽  
Pedro Linares ◽  
...  

Obesity is one of the main worldwide public health concerns whose clinical management demands new therapeutic approaches. Bariatric surgery is the most efficient treatment when other therapies have previously failed. Due to the role of gut microbiota in obesity development, the knowledge of the link between bariatric surgery and gut microbiota could elucidate new mechanistic approaches. This study aims to evaluate the long-term effects of bariatric surgery in the faecal metagenome and metabolome of patients with severe obesity. Faecal and blood samples were collected before and four years after the intervention from patients with severe obesity. Biochemical, metagenomic and metabolomic analyses were performed and faecal short-chain fatty acids were measured. Bariatric surgery improved the obesity-related status of patients and significantly reshaped gut microbiota composition. Moreover, this procedure was associated with a specific metabolome profile characterized by a reduction in energetic and amino acid metabolism. Acetate, butyrate and propionate showed a significant reduction with bariatric surgery. Finally, correlation analysis suggested the existence of a long-term compositional and functional gut microbiota profile associated with the intervention. In conclusion, bariatric surgery triggered long-lasting effects on gut microbiota composition and faecal metabolome that could be associated with the remission of obesity.


Nature ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 563 (7731) ◽  
pp. E25-E25
Author(s):  
Marcus Fulde ◽  
Felix Sommer ◽  
Benoit Chassaing ◽  
Kira van Vorst ◽  
Aline Dupont ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 424-424
Author(s):  
Xiaohui Li ◽  
Chunbao Li ◽  
Guanghong Zhou

Abstract Objectives The level of dietary protein is a major factor determining gut health. The level of dietary protein is fluctuated in real life, which may affect colon homeostasis. However, it is still less known about it. Here, we investigated how an intermittent protein diet affected inflammatory, gut barrier and microbiota. Methods Six-week-old male C57BL/6J mice received either a casein or pork protein with (i) 20% protein (C), (ii) 5% protein, (iii) 40% protein, or intermittent diet, a diet alternating weekly between 5% protein and 40% protein ((iv) ending on 40% protein or (v) ending on 5% protein)) for up to 16 weeks. The gene expression of inflammatory cytokines, tight junction protein and gut microbiota composition were measured. Results The intermittent intake of casein decreased body weight, but intermittent pork protein diet didn't affect body weight. In casein group, the proinflammatory factors were highly upregulated in intermittent group ending on 5% protein, but the proinflammatory cytokines of intermittent group ending on 40% protein were not significantly affected. However, the two intermittent pork protein groups reduced the expression of proinflammatory cytokines. Additionally, intermittent diet altered gut microbiota composition. Intermittent casein group ending on 40% protein increased richness of gut microbiota, but intermittent pork protein group ending on 5% protein decreased richness and microbial diversity. Conclusions Intermittent diet indeed altered microbiota structure and colon health. In addition to protein level and source, dietary pattern is also an important parameter for host health. Funding Sources This work was funded by Ministry of Science and Technology (10000 Talent Project).


Author(s):  
Alinne P. Castro ◽  
Keemilyn K. S. Silva ◽  
Claudia S. A. Medeiros ◽  
Fernanda Alves ◽  
Ronaldo C. Araujo ◽  
...  

In addition to its health benefits, exercise training has been pointed out as modulator of the gut microbiota. However, the effects of resistance training (RT) on gut microbiota composition remain unknown. Wistar rats underwent 12 weeks of RT. Body weight, glucose tolerance test, visceral body fat, triglyceride concentration, and food consumption were evaluated. The gut microbiota was analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Rats that underwent RT showed lower body weight (p=0.0005), lower fat content (p=0.02), and better glucose kinetics (p=0.047) when compared to the control. Improvements in the diversity and composition of the gut microbiota were identified in the RT group. The relative abundance of Pseudomonas, Serratia, and Comamonas decreased significantly after 12 weeks of RT (p<0.001). These results suggest that RT has the potential to enhance the diversity of the gut microbiota and improve its biological functions.


Circulation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 143 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Moira K Differding ◽  
Juliette Madan ◽  
Diane Gilbert-Diamond ◽  
Emily Baker ◽  
Margaret R Karagas ◽  
...  

Introduction: The prevalence of overweight and obesity in children ages 2-5 years continues to rise in the US. Experimental germ-free animal models indicate gut microbiota can cause excess weight gain. Observational human studies, mostly cross-sectional, also suggest gut microbiota is associated with obesity, but these studies have largely been conducted in older children and adults. Infants have a unique gut microbiota composition and function, under strong influence by human milk. Bifidobacteria, in particular, is hypothesized to be beneficial in the presence of human milk oligosaccharides. To our knowledge, no longitudinal studies have examined the association of the infant gut microbiota with childhood BMI, taking into account intake of human milk. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that infant gut microbiota composition, in particular relative abundance of Bifidobacteria, in the first year is prospectively associated with differences in child BMI from ages 2-5 years and associations are modified by duration of human milk feeding. Methods: We examined longitudinal data from mother-child dyads in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort, which began enrolling pregnant women from New Hampshire in 2009. We measured the infant gut microbiota using 16S rRNA sequencing at 6 weeks and 12 months of age. We estimated alpha diversity using the Shannon diversity index. Child BMI z scores (BMI-z) at 2-5 years of age were calculated using sex- and age-specific WHO growth charts. We used unadjusted and multivariable adjusted linear mixed models. We adjusted for pre-pregnancy BMI, birth weight, delivery mode, and infant BMI-z at 12 months (in 12-month microbiota models). We considered effect measure modification by breastfeeding duration. Results: Our analytic sample comprised 148 and 146 infants with microbiota data at 6 weeks and 12 months, respectively, and at least 1 BMI-z from ages 2-5 years. Shannon diversity at 6 weeks and 12 months of age, and top genera at 6 weeks were not significantly associated with child BMI-z. Abundance of 12-month Bifidobacterium was associated with lower BMI-z (-0.12; 95% CI (-0.25, 0.006)) and interacted with breastfeeding duration (p interaction <0.01); among infants consuming breast milk ≥6 months Bifidobacterium was associated with a 0.22 (95% CI: 0.06, 0.37) lower child BMI-z. Lower abundance of 12-month Prevotella , a bacteria linked to obesity in adults, was suggestively associated with lower child BMI-z and this association was also modified by breastfeeding duration (p interaction=0.01), such that it was only significant among infants breastfed < 6 months (0.34; 95% CI: 0.09, 0.60). Both interactions were consistent when breastfeeding duration was dichotomized at 12 months. Conclusion: Higher percent Bifidobacterium and lower Prevotella at 12 months was prospectively associated with lower childhood BMI-z, and both associations were modified by breastfeeding duration.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tzu-Wen Cross ◽  
Evan Hutchison ◽  
Jacob Coulthurst ◽  
Federico Rey

Abstract Objectives Dietary fiber consumption improves cardiometabolic health, partly by enhancing microbial diversity and increasing production of butyrate in the distal gut. However, it is unclear whether the benefits associated with different types of fiber vary based on the gut microbiota composition. We surveyed nine different human gut microbial communities by characterizing them in germ-free mice and selected two communities based on their butyrate-producing capacity (“B”) and diversity (“D”) (i.e., high- vs. low-BD communities). Our objective was to assess the role of high- vs. low-BD communities on the metabolic effects elicited by the consumption of various dietary fibers. Methods We formulated seven diets with different sources of dietary fiber (10% wt/wt): i) resistant starch type 2 (RS2); ii) RS4; iii) inulin; iv) short-chain fructooligosaccharides (scFOS); v) pectin, vi) assorted fiber (a combination of the 5 fermentable fibers), and vii) cellulose (a non-fermentable control). Germ-free C57BL/6 male mice were colonized with either the high- or low-BD communities and fed the assorted fiber diet for 2 weeks to reach stability of microbial engraftment. Mice were then switched to one of the 7 diets for 4 weeks (n = 7–10/group; 117 mice total). We quantified cecal level of short-chain fatty acids and assessed the gut microbiota composition using 16S rRNA gene-based sequencing. Results Mice colonized with the high-BD community have lower body weight and fat mass compared to the low-BD community when fermentable-fiber sources RS2, inulin, or assorted fiber were present in the diet. Body weight did not differ between the two communities when mice were fed RS4, scFOS, pectin, or cellulose diets. Lower body weight and fat mass were associated with greater cecal butyrate concentrations and microbial diversity. Conclusions The efficacy of dietary fiber interventions on metabolic health varies based on the gut microbiota composition. Overall, our results suggest that dietary fiber supplementations need to be matched with the metabolic potential of the gut microbiome. Funding Sources Fondation Leducq, USDA, and NIH.


2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 1845-1858 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Genoni ◽  
Claus T. Christophersen ◽  
Johnny Lo ◽  
Megan Coghlan ◽  
Mary C. Boyce ◽  
...  

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