Open AccessObesity and gut microbiome: review of potential role of probiotics
Author(s) -
Francine Schütz,
Margarida Figueiredo-Braga,
Pedro C. Barata,
Natália CruzMartins
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
porto biomedical journal/porto biomedical journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2444-8672
pISSN - 2444-8664
DOI - 10.1097/j.pbj.0000000000000111
Subject(s) - obesity , microbiome , gut microbiome , medicine , gut flora , pandemic , body mass index , bioinformatics , biology , covid-19 , immunology , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty)
Obesity prevalence has increased worldwide over the years, with pandemic levels being already reached, besides to its huge economic and health impacts. The multifactorial pathogenesis of obesity partly explains the important challenge posed to health policy regarding its clinical treatment, with increasing evidences have shown that obesity and metabolic disturbances are closely linked to variations in gut microbiota (GM) function and composition. Indeed, GM play a key contribution in energy metabolism, with GM modulation being increasingly linked to changes in body weight and body mass index. In such matter, probiotics have been proposed as a promising new therapeutic strategy to treat/prevent obesity. Thus, this review aims to provide an overview on the clinical impact and effectiveness of probiotics in obese individuals.