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Review
. 2016 Apr 23:15:43.
doi: 10.1186/s12937-016-0166-9.

Pathophysiological role of host microbiota in the development of obesity

Nazarii Kobyliak  1 , Oleksandr Virchenko  2 , Tetyana Falalyeyeva  2
Affiliations
Review

Pathophysiological role of host microbiota in the development of obesity

Nazarii Kobyliak et al. Nutr J. .

Abstract

Overweight and obesity increase the risk for a number of diseases, namely, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, premature death, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease as well as different types of cancer. Approximately 1.7 billion people in the world suffer from being overweight, most notably in developed countries. Current research efforts have focused on host and environmental factors that may affect energy balance. It was hypothesized that a microbiota profile specific to an obese host with increased energy-yielding behavior may exist. Consequently, the gut microbiota is becoming of significant research interest in relation to obesity in an attempt to better understand the aetiology of obesity and to develop new methods of its prevention and treatment. Alteration of microbiota composition may stimulate development of obesity and other metabolic diseases via several mechanisms: increasing gut permeability with subsequent metabolic inflammation; increasing energy harvest from the diet; impairing short-chain fatty acids synthesis; and altering bile acids metabolism and FXR/TGR5 signaling. Prebiotics and probiotics have physiologic functions that contribute to the health of gut microbiota, maintenance of a healthy body weight and control of factors associated with obesity through their effects on mechanisms that control food intake, body weight, gut microbiota and inflammatory processes.

Keywords: Bile acid metabolism; Endocannabinoid system; FIAF; FXR; Gut microbiota; Innate immunity; Intestinal permeability; Metabolic inflammation; Obesity; Short-chain fatty acids; TLRs.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mechanism linking altered gut microbiota to obesity
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Interaction between gut microbiota, host innate immunity and metabolic inflammation
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Mechanism of bile acids synthesis regulation. Impact of gut microbiota
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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