Can the gastrointestinal microbiota be modulated by dietary fibre to treat obesity?

AbstractRecent research suggests that the human gastrointestinal microbiota is greatly involved in yielding, storing and expending energy from the diet; therefore, it may be a further factor in linking diet to obesity. The gut microbial composition is affected by diet throughout the human lifespan, and is highly dynamic and efficient in response to dietary alterations in particular to dietary fibre intake. Short-chained fatty acids (SCFA) are the bi-product of fibre fermentation and have both obesogenic and anti-obesogenic properties. The production of specific forms of SCFAs depends on the microbes available in the gut and the type of fibre ingested. The gut microbiome associated with healthy lean individuals has a higher microbial biodiversity and a greaterBacteroidete toFirmicute ratio compared to the obese individuals associated with microbiome. These gut microbial associations are similar to those seen in individuals with high and low dietary fibre intakes, respectively. Metabolites generated byBacteroidetes andFirmicutes include the three main SCFA related to obesity, namely butyrate, acetate and propionate. However, neitherBacteroidetes norFirmicutes is purely causative or purely preventative of obesity. More research is crucial in linking the various types of fibre with particular SCFA production and the microbiome it promotes before suggesting that dietary fibre modulation of the gut microbiome can treat obesity. However, the long-term dietary trend plays the princip...
Source: Irish Journal of Medical Science - Category: General Medicine Source Type: research