Delzenne NM, Cani PD

The role of intestinal microbiota in energy metabolism and metabolic discorders.

International Diabetes Monitor (2010) 22:189-195

Abstract
Obesity and its associated metabolic disorders are a worldwide epidemic. In humans, obesity
causes changes in gut microbial composition. Analysis of the consequences of these changes
for host energy metabolism, particularly in the context of obesity, requires good experimental
models. The use of gnotobiotic animal models has indicated new mediators and molecular targets
that suggest a metabolic dialogue between the gut bacteria and the host. The discovery of
the impact of a high-fat diet on metabolic disorders linked to gut microbiota has revealed
bacterial components (lipopolysaccharides and Toll-like receptors) as potential targets in the
management of obesity and related disorders. In animal models, it has been possible to effect specific
changes to the gut microbiota through food components with prebiotic properties, thereby
decreasing obesity and its associated metabolic alterations, including inflammation. The relevance
of this approach in the management of obesity in humans is supported by a number of
intervention studies. A metagenomic and integrative metabolomic approach could help in the
discovery of which bacteria, among the trillions in the human gut, are specifically involved in the
control of host energy metabolism. This knowledge could be relevant for future therapeutic
developments in the prevention of obesity and related metabolic disorders.

Key words:
Gut microbiota, obesity, prebiotics, inflammation, gut
peptides