1. Acta Gastroenterol Belg. 2010 Apr-Jun;73(2):267-9.

Involvement of the gut microbiota in the development of low grade inflammation
associated with obesity: focus on this neglected partner.

Cani PD, Delzenne NM.

Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Metabolism and
Nutrition Research Group, Brussels, Belgium. patrice.cani@uclouvain.be

Nowadays, the literature provides evidence that obesity, type 2 diabetes and
insulin resistance are characterized by a low grade inflammation. Among the
environmental factors involved in such diseases, the gut microbiota has been
proposed as a key player. This neglected "organ" has been found to be different
between healthy and or obese and type 2 diabetic patients. For example, recent
data have proposed that dysbiosis of gut microbiota (at phyla, genus, or species 
level) affects host metabolism and energy storage. Among the mechanisms,
metabolic endotoxemia (higher plasma LPS levels), gut permeability and the
modulation of gut peptides (GLP-1 and GLP-2) have been proposed as putative
targets. Here we discuss 1 degrees the specific modulation of the gut microbiota 
composition by using prebiotics and 2 degrees the novel findings that may explain
how gut microbiota can be involved in the development or in the control of
obesity and associated low-grade inflammation.


PMID: 20690567 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]