Obesity is an emerging global epidemic with profound challenges to world health care economies and societies. Traditional approaches to fighting obesity have not shown promise in promoting a decline in obesity prevalence. The gut microbiota is becoming widely appreciated for its role in regulating metabolism and thus represents a target for new therapies to combat obesity and associated comorbidities. This article provides an overview of altered microbial community structure in obesity, dietary impact on the gut microbiota, host-microbe interactions contributing to the disease, and improvements in microbial assemblage after bariatric surgery and with therapies targeting the gut microbiome.
Keywords: Bariatric surgery; Enteroendocrine hormones; Lipid absorption; Metabolism; Microbiota; Prebiotics; Probiotics; Synbiotics.
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