scholarly journals Intestinal microbiota, obesity and prebiotics

2015 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. BARCZYNSKA ◽  
K. BANDURSKA ◽  
K. SLIZEWSKA ◽  
M. LITWIN ◽  
M. SZALECKI ◽  
...  

Over the past few decades there has been a significant increase in the prevalence of obesity in both children and adults. Obesity is a disease that has reached epidemic levels on a global scale. The development of obesity is associated with both environmental and genetic factors. Recent studies indicate that intestinal microorganisms play an important function in maintaining normal body weight. One of the objectives in the gut microbiota research is to determine the role it plays and can it be a reliable biomarker of disease risk, including the predisposition to obesity. This article discusses (1) the role of prebiotics and gut microbiota in maintaining a healthy body weight and (2) potential influence on the gut microbiota in the prevention and treatment of obesity.

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 42-48
Author(s):  
Marina A. Berkovskaya ◽  
Anna A. Tarasenko ◽  
Valentin V. Fadeev ◽  
Olesya Yu. Gurova

This manuscript provides a review of current literature on the relationship between overweight and alexithymia as a psychological factor associated with obesity, as well as the role of alexithymia in the development of various abnormalities and eating disorders (ED). Obesity is a multifactorial disease, and lifestyle characteristics are the most important pathogenetic links on its development, as well as a complex of genetic, epigenetic, biological and psychological factors that cause accumulation of excessive fat and prevent effective reduction and retention of body weight. One possible reason for the increased prevalence of obesity in adults is poor emotional management, which can affect healthy eating behavior and lifestyle. It was found that overweight and obese people have a high prevalence of alexithymia, and also the study shows its prognostic role in the development of ED. Alexithymia is a factor that not only predisposes to weight gain, but is also a significant predictor of inefficiency and premature termination of programs for the treatment of obesity and ED. Timely diagnosis and correction of alexithymic syndrome can help in developing the effective treatment strategies for obese patients.


2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilias Attaye ◽  
Sara-Joan Pinto-Sietsma ◽  
Hilde Herrema ◽  
Max Nieuwdorp

Cardiometabolic disease (CMD), such as type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease, contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality on a global scale. The gut microbiota has emerged as a potential target to beneficially modulate CMD risk, possibly via dietary interventions. Dietary interventions have been shown to considerably alter gut microbiota composition and function. Moreover, several diet-derived microbial metabolites are able to modulate human metabolism and thereby alter CMD risk. Dietary interventions that affect gut microbiota composition and function are therefore a promising, novel, and cost-efficient method to reduce CMD risk. Studies suggest that fermentable carbohydrates can beneficially alter gut microbiota composition and function, whereas high animal protein and high fat intake negatively impact gut microbiota function and composition. This review focuses on the role of macronutrients (i.e., carbohydrate, protein, and fat) and dietary patterns (e.g., vegetarian/vegan and Mediterranean diet) in gut microbiota composition and function in the context of CMD.


Author(s):  
Shampa Ghosh ◽  
Srividya Manchala ◽  
Manchala Raghunath ◽  
Gaurav Sharma ◽  
Abhishek Kumar Singh ◽  
...  

: Obesity has become a worldwide health problem. It triggers additional co-morbidities like cardiovascular diseases, cancer, depression, sleep disorders, gastrointestinal problems and many more. Excess accumulation of fat in obesity could be caused by many factors like sedentary lifestyle, consumption of high fat diet, genetic predisposition, etc. Imbalanced energy metabolism i.e., greater energy consumption than utilisation, invariably underlies obesity. Considering the high prevalence and continuous, uncontrolled increase of this major public health issue, there is an urgent need to find appropriate therapeutic agents with minimal or no side effects. The high prevalence of obesity in recent years has led to a surge in the number of drugs available in the market that claim to control obesity. Although there is a long list of medicines and management strategies that are available, selecting the right therapeutic intervention and feasible management of obesity is a challenge. Several phytochemicals like hydroxycitric acid, flavonoids, tannins, anthocyanins, phytohaemagglutins, thymoquinone and epigallocatechin gallate have been shown to possess promising anti-obesity properties. However, studies providing information on how various phytochemicals exert their anti-obesity effects are inadequate. This calls for more experimentation in this less explored area of research. Additionally, the complication of obesity arises when it is a result of multiple factors and associated with a number of co-morbidities. In order to handle such complexities combinatorial therapeutic interventions become effective. In this review, we have described the medicinal chemistry of different highly effective phytochemicals which can be used in the effective treatment and management of obesity.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Tao Zhou ◽  
Jiayi Chen ◽  
Yuhang Chen ◽  
Jiayi Xu ◽  
Sijing Liu ◽  
...  

Ligustrum robustum (LR) shows antiobesity effects in animal studies. However, little is known about the effect on human. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of LR intake on weight change in obese women and the role of gut microbiota. Thirty overweight and obese female participants (BMI ≥24 kg/m2) were recruited in the current study. The participants drank LR 10g/d for 12 wks. Their body composition and related biomarkers were assessed. Alterations of the gut microbiota were analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing. The primary outcome was the change in body weight. LR intake resulted in 2.5% weight loss over 12 wks (P<0.01). Change in body fat at 12 wk was -1.77 ± 1.19 kg (P<0.01). In addition, decreased Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio (P=0.03), increased richness (the ACE estimator, P<0.01; the Chao1 estimator, P<0.01), and altered representative taxa of the gut microbiota were observed. Bacteroidaceae, Bacteroides, Bacilli, and Lactobacillales were higher while Ruminococcaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Enterobacteriales, Lachnospiraceae, Clostridia, and Clostridiales were lower at 12 wk. Moreover, LR intervention decreased fasting glucose (P<0.01), serum leptin (P<0.01), and IL8 (P=0.02) and increased HOMA-β (P<0.01). LR intervention moderately decreased the body weight in overweight and obese women and such effect might be due to modulation of gut microbiota.


Author(s):  
Ludovico Abenavoli ◽  
Anna Caterina Procopio ◽  
Emidio Scarpellini

: Obesity is one of the major health problems of the modern era. Obesity has been associated with rapidly rising growth rates that affect every age group of the population indiscriminately, particularly the younger ones. Undoubtedly, it is necessary to identify increasingly effective therapies in order to avoid the possible complications of the syndrome. In this context, the microbota can represent one of the therapeutic targets for prevention and treatment of obesity. We highlight the role of the microbiota as a therapeutic target in 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.


1981 ◽  
Vol 241 (3) ◽  
pp. R173-R184
Author(s):  
M. W. Gunion ◽  
R. H. Peters

The role of beta-endorphin in the development of several obesity syndromes was examined. Adult female hooded rats received ventromedial hypothalamic lesions, dorsolateral tegmental lesions, parasagittal hypothalamic knife cuts, intraventricular 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine, ovariectomy, control surgery, or were deprived to 75% of normal body weight. Dose-dependent suppression of food intake by the opiate antagonist naloxone (0.5, 1.8, 6.8, or 25.0 mg/kg, ip) was measured during once-daily 4-h food access periods. No difference was found among the groups at any dose. Pituitary beta-endorphinlike immunoreactivity (BELI) was substantially decreased in knife-cut rats, but was unaltered by other treatments. Obesity had no effect on BELI. In another experiment, rats made obese by prolonged maintenance on palatable foods had elevated pituitary BELI levels. Feeding mechanisms involving opioid peptides do not appear to be of etiological significance in the syndromes examined.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken-ichiro Nakajima ◽  
Zhenzhong Cui ◽  
Chia Li ◽  
Jaroslawna Meister ◽  
Yinghong Cui ◽  
...  

Abstract Agouti-related peptide (AgRP) neurons of the hypothalamus play a key role in regulating food intake and body weight, by releasing three different orexigenic molecules: AgRP; GABA; and neuropeptide Y. AgRP neurons express various G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) with different coupling properties, including Gs-linked GPCRs. At present, the potential role of Gs-coupled GPCRs in regulating the activity of AgRP neurons remains unknown. Here we show that the activation of Gs-coupled receptors expressed by AgRP neurons leads to a robust and sustained increase in food intake. We also provide detailed mechanistic data linking the stimulation of this class of receptors to the observed feeding phenotype. Moreover, we show that this pathway is clearly distinct from other GPCR signalling cascades that are operative in AgRP neurons. Our data suggest that drugs able to inhibit this signalling pathway may become useful for the treatment of obesity.


2012 ◽  
Vol 108 (5) ◽  
pp. 778-793 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. A. Duca ◽  
M. Covasa

The gastrointestinal peptides are classically known as short-term signals, primarily inducing satiation and/or satiety. However, accumulating evidence has broadened this view, and their role in long-term energy homeostasis and the development of obesity has been increasingly recognised. In the present review, the recent research involving the role of satiation signals, especially ghrelin, cholecystokinin, glucagon-like peptide 1 and peptide YY, in the development and treatment of obesity will be discussed. Their activity, interactions and release profile vary constantly with changes in dietary and energy influences, intestinal luminal environment, body weight and metabolic status. Manipulation of gut peptides and nutrient sensors in the oral and postoral compartments through diet and/or changes in gut microflora or using multi-hormone ‘cocktail’ therapy are among promising approaches aimed at reducing excess food consumption and body-weight gain.


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