Obesity, Diet and the Gut Microbiota

A possible causal role of the gut microbiota in human obesity is capturing interest. Recent experimental evidence and mechanistic hypotheses suggest that a ‘dysbiotic’ large bowel microbiota, induced mainly by poor diet, increases dietary energy bioavailability and storage in the host. However, research findings in both animals and humans are inconsistent and whether an altered gut microbiota meaningfully impacts host energetics remains an open question. Future intervention studies must control diet and other lifestyle factors that profoundly influence the composition and activity of the intestinal microbiota to define its potential role in and contribution to the human obesity problem.