1. Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2009 Jul 21. [Epub ahead of print]

Interplay between obesity and associated metabolic disorders: new insights into
the gut microbiota.

Cani PD, Delzenne NM.

Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Metabolism and
Nutrition Research Group, PMNT Unit, Brussels, Belgium.

Obesity and associated metabolic disorders are worldwide epidemic. The literature
provides new evidence that gut microbiota dysbiosis (at the phyla, genus, or
species level) affects host metabolism and energy storage. Here we discuss new
findings that may explain how gut microbiota can be involved in the development
or in the control of obesity and associated low-grade inflammation. New powerful 
molecular biology methods and the use of gnotobiotic animal allowed to analyze
the molecular link between gut bacteria and the host. Moreover, even if more
studies are needed to unravel how changing gut microbiota impacts on the
development of obesity and related metabolic alterations, probiotic and prebiotic
approach appear as potential interesting treatments to reverse host metabolic
alterations linked to gut microbiota dysbiosis.

PMID: 19628432 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]