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Review
. 2020 Apr 21;21(8):2890.
doi: 10.3390/ijms21082890.

Microbial Medicine: Prebiotic and Probiotic Functional Foods to Target Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome

Miranda Green  1 , Karan Arora  1   2   3 , Satya Prakash  1
Affiliations
Review

Microbial Medicine: Prebiotic and Probiotic Functional Foods to Target Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome

Miranda Green et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Obesity has become a global epidemic and a public health crisis in the Western World, experiencing a threefold increase in prevalence since 1975. High-caloric diets and sedentary lifestyles have been identified as significant contributors to this widespread issue, although the role of genetic, social, and environmental factors in obesity's pathogenesis remain incompletely understood. In recent years, much attention has been drawn to the contribution of the gut microbiota in the development of obesity. Indeed, research has shown that in contrast to their healthier counterparts the microbiomes of obese individuals are structurally and functionally distinct, strongly suggesting microbiome as a potential target for obesity therapeutics. In particular, pre and probiotics have emerged as effective and integrative means of modulating the microbiome, in order to reverse the microbial dysbiosis associated with an obese phenotype. The following review brings forth animal and human research supporting the myriad of mechanisms by which the microbiome affects obesity, as well as the strengths and limitations of probiotic or prebiotic supplementation for the prevention and treatment of obesity. Finally, we set forth a roadmap for the comprehensive development of functional food solutions in combatting obesity, to capitalize on the potential of pre/probiotic therapies in optimizing host health.

Keywords: bile acid (BA); inflammation; metabolic syndrome; metabolic syndrome (MetS); microbiome; obesity; prebiotics; probiotics; short chain fatty acid (SCFA).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors (S.P. and M.G.) declare no conflict of interest. K.A. has blood relationship with the founders of Biena Inc.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
An overview of the microbiome’s role in development of obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS), including some of the mechanisms thought to contribute to changes in host metabolic state. Up and down arrows indicate increase and decrease, respectively. TJ = Tight Junction, IEC = Intestinal Epithelial cells, SCFA = Short Chain Fatty Acid, CVD = Cardiovascular Disease, LPS = Lipopolysaccharide and LDL-C = Low Density Lipoproteins-Cholesterol.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A summary of the mechanisms by which pre and probiotics delivered via functional foods initiate metabolic changes to combat development of obesity and metabolic syndrome. These mechanisms include the production of microbial metabolic products, noting short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), a decrease in luminal pH, regulation of the immune system (modulating cytokine production), promoting satiety through gut–brain signaling and enhancing oxidative metabolism.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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