🇬🇧 Gut bacteria as multi-level regulators of obesity and metabolic disease

Abstract

Gut microbiome variations are linked to dietary habits and obesity risk in humans. Translational studies from humans to models show that the microbiota associated with obesity contributes to the hallmarks of metabolic disease. These studies demonstrate that the gut microbiome influences obesity through body-brain interactions originating in the gut that regulate immune and neuroendocrine pathways controlling energy balance. In my presentation, I will discuss how different intestinal bacterial strains associated with a metabolically healthy phenotype in humans and their metabolic products may help combat obesity by restoring endocrine or immune signaling from the gut to the brain and peripheral tissues. While some beneficial bacterial strains improve GLP-1 production and signaling via endocrine or paracrine routes, thereby exerting anti-diabetic effects, others enhance glucose metabolism and reduce body weight by decreasing inflammation through actions on innate or adaptive immunity. Although evidence from human intervention trials is still much needed, this translational research is deepening our understanding of the pathophysiology of metabolic disease and offers hope for developing microbiome-informed interventions to combat the complications of
obesity more efficiently.