Incidences of obesity have reached alarming levels worldwide, with approximately 1 in 3 US adults and 1 in 4 UK adults considered obese. This health epidemic is increasing people's risk of developing metabolic disorders, such as type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease (CHD).

Diet and lifestyle are major causes of obesity, and although it may seem straightforward to re-address the balance between energy intake and expenditure, nutritional balance can be very practically challenging.

In the search for new therapies, the gut microbiota and its activities have been investigated. Some of these studies are explored in this paper.


Contents

  • The human colonic microbiota
  • Obesity and metabolic disorders
  • Obesity, inflammation and gut microbiota