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PMID: 21826100 Published · epublish English Journal Article Review

Targeting gut microbiota in obesity: effects of prebiotics and probiotics.

Nature reviews. Endocrinology ·Vol. 7 ·No. 11 ·2011-08-09 ·Pages 639-46

Delzenne NM, Neyrinck AM, Bäckhed F, Cani PD

Abstract

At birth, the human colon is rapidly colonized by gut microbes. Owing to their vast number and their capacity to ferment nutrients and secrete bioactive compounds, these gastrointestinal microbes act as an environmental factor that affects the host's physiology and metabolism, particularly in the context of obesity and its related metabolic disorders. Experiments that compared germ-free and colonized mice or analyzed the influence of nutrients that qualitatively change the composition of the gut microbiota (namely prebiotics) showed that gut microbes induce a wide variety of host responses within the intestinal mucosa and thereby control the gut's barrier and endocrine functions. Gut microbes also influence the metabolism of cells in tissues outside of the intestines (in the liver and adipose tissue) and thereby modulate lipid and glucose homeostasis, as well as systemic inflammation, in the host. A number of studies describe characteristic differences between the composition and/or activity of the gut microbiota of lean individuals and those with obesity. Although these data are controversial, they suggest that specific phyla, classes or species of bacteria, or bacterial metabolic activities could be beneficial or detrimental to patients with obesity. The gut microbiota is, therefore, a potential nutritional and pharmacological target in the management of obesity and obesity-related disorders.

MeSH Terms
Animals Gastrointestinal Tract/metabolism,microbiology Humans Metagenome/physiology Obesity/diet therapy,metabolism,microbiology Prebiotics Probiotics/administration & dosage Treatment Outcome
Chemicals
Prebiotics
Authors & Affiliations
4 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Delzenne Nathalie M
Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium. nathalie.delzenne@ uclouvain.be
Neyrinck Audrey M
Bäckhed Fredrik
Cani Patrice D
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Article Info
Journal
Nature reviews. Endocrinology
Abbr.
Nat Rev Endocrinol
ISSN
1759-5037
DOI
10.1038/nrendo.2011.126
Published
2011-08-09
Epub
2011-00-09
Pages
639-46
Language
English
Region
England
NLM ID
101500078
Subset
IM
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1038/nrendo.2011.126 View journal details
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