Excess weight is not only a problem of aesthetics or self-esteem, but also seriously increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, fatty liver and even certain types of cancer. It is estimated that in the European Union around 50% of the adult population is overweight or obese.
And what is worse, the fact that obesity in children has increased tenfold in the last 40 years has further deteriorated the health of adults. It’s not to be taken as a joke. Obesity is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by an excessive accumulation of fat that in the long term can pose a health risk.
In general, it is a consequence of a chronic imbalance between intake and energy expenditure, so inadequate eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle would increase its incidence. The problem is that treatments based on low-calorie diets and the promotion of physical activity tend to have a low follow-up.
Hence, there are more and more researchers dedicated to identifying early markers of childhood obesity that allow designing personalized treatments and remedying them in time.
Body mass index and microbiota
When it comes to fighting obesity, there are many eyes that point to the intestinal microbiota, the set of microorganisms that inhabit our digestive system. It is potentially a good weapon, because, in general, obese individuals have a reduced and less diverse microbiota, greater intestinal permeability and an altered production of metabolites (compounds produced by microorganisms).
This situation has been related to a greater production of pro-inflammatory mediators that, when they reach the blood circulation, would generate the inflammatory state characteristic of obesity.
In the case of boys and girls, we know that both the variety and the richness of the intestinal microbiota are lower the higher their body mass index (BMI). Changes in the levels of short-chain fatty acids (produced by the microbiota) associated with the abundance of microbes of the genus Proteobacteria have also been observed.
Does this mean that by analyzing the gut microbiota we could identify who is most at risk for obesity? It seems so. Among the many initiatives launched, the CLiMB-Out study stands out, in which researchers from IMDEA Alimentación participate. One of the objectives of this initiative is to develop predictive tools that facilitate the design of personalized nutrition to prevent and treat obesity.
Tailor-made diet based on microbiota
The composition of the gut microbiota depends largely (but not exclusively) on what we put in our mouths. For example, we know that eating a diet rich in fiber and/or resistant (indigestible) starch for 4 weeks produces changes in the composition of the gut microbiota and the production of metabolites.
However, we know that these changes are minor in those people who initially had greater microbial diversity. In the case of obese individuals who follow diets to lose weight, the benefits depend in part on the initial abundance of the bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila. Or put another way, people with a rich community of Akkermansia muciniphila will lose more weight (eating the same thing) than those with a poor representation of that microbe.
It has also been observed that the presence of the bacteria Prevotella copri and Blastocystis spp. is related to better blood glucose levels after meals. And finally, groups of bacteria (such as Bacteroides fragilis, Clostridium leptum and Bifidobacterium catenulatum) have been identified that predict whether a person who follows a hypocaloric diet and performs physical activity will lose more or less weight.
Therefore, knowing the composition of an individual’s microbiota and combining this information with other characteristics (such as the gene pool) will allow us to anticipate a person’s response to a treatment.
Our microscopic allies
And here come into play studies such as the aforementioned CLiMB-Out, framed within the European platform EiT Food, which help identify the fecal microbiota as a cause or consequence of obesity. In addition, they provide possible treatments and methods of prevention against childhood obesity and associated metabolic complications in adults.
At present, the use of algorithms and models allow us to better understand the relationship between microbiota, diet and obesity. That is, we know which microorganisms warn us of the effectiveness of a specific diet in a specific individual, even before starting treatment.
We also know that other factors, such as a person’s sex or genetic characteristics, influence this process. The next step will be to use all this information to design the custom diets. For this, it is essential to easily access the analysis of the intestinal microbiota of the individuals who are going to follow them.
And in addition, the professionals who are going to prescribe these diets must have the knowledge and training necessary to integrate all that information.
In short, the gut microbiota not only influences the development of obesity. It could also become a chivato to identify who is most at risk for it and to prescribe personalized nutrition. Applied to children, it could reverse the upward trend in childhood obesity.
Iñaki Milton Laskibar, Postdoctoral Researcher at Cardiometabolic Nutrition Group (IMDEA Alimentación) and at the Center for Biomedical Research Network of the Pathophysiology of Obesity and Nutrition (CiberObn), University of the Basque Country / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea; Alfredo Martínez Hernández, Director of Precision Nutrition and Cardiometabolic Health Research Program and Cardiometabolic Nutrition Group, IMDEA ALIMENTACIÓN; Amanda Cuevas Sierra, Postdoctoral researcher, IMDEA and Ana Ramírez de Molina, Deputy Director, IMDEA ALIMENTACIÓN
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original.
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