Patterns of gut microbial changes linked to obesity

Abstract

The worldwide incidence of obesity, affecting roughly 2 billion individuals, is a major health issue attributed to inactive lifestyles and poor eating habits. It is a leading risk factor for metabolic diseases. In healthy adults, the gut microbiome is predominantly made up of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, which represent approximately 70% of the entire microbial population. Other groups such as Proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, Actinobacteria, Fusobacteria, and Cyanobacteria also exist but in lesser quantities. When comparing the gut flora of obese individuals to those with a lean body type, there’s a notable increase in Firmicutes and a decrease in Bacteroidetes among the obese. In the meta-analysis conducted by Chanda D et al. the composition of the gut microbiome in obese individuals was analyzed, revealing a consistent reduction in diversity compared to their lean counterparts.