Plain language summary
Recent findings have suggested that the composition of the gut microbiome plays an important role in energy balance and metabolism. The aim of this study was to examine if weight loss altered the gut micriobiota diversity and to determine whether these changes were sustained during a weight maintenance period. Dietary intervention included a very low calorie diet (800 kcal/day) for three months followed by a weight maintenance period for three months. This study consisted of three groups – an intervention of 18 obese adults, a control of 13 lean adults and a second control of 13 obese adults. This study found that a very low calorie diet intervention in obese humans over a three-month period resulted in a significant change in microbiome diversity and metabolism, however these changes diminished during the weight maintenance period. Based on these findings, the authors suggest that nutritional components may exert a stronger effect on the human gut microbiome than changes in body weight or metabolism.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE In the present study, we examined the effect of a very low-calorie diet(VLCD)-based obesity program on human gut microbiome diversity and metabolism during weight loss and weight maintenance. METHODS Obese subjects underwent 3 months of VLCD followed by 3 months of weight maintenance. A lean and an obese control group were included. The microbiome was characterized by performing high-throughput dual-indexed 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing. RESULTS At baseline, a significant difference in the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio between the lean and obese individuals was observed (p = 0.047). The VLCD resulted in significant alterations in gut microbiome diversity from baseline to 3 months (p = 0.0053). Acinetobacter represented an indicator species for the observed effect (indicator value = 0.998, p = 0.006). Metabolic analyses revealed alterations of the bacterial riboflavin pathway from baseline to 3 months (pnom = 0.0078). These changes in diversity and bacterial metabolism induced by VLCD diminished during the weight maintenance phase, despite sustained reductions in body weight and sustained improvements of insulin sensitivity. CONCLUSION The present data show that a VLCD is able to beneficially alter both gut microbiome diversity and metabolism in obese humans, but that these changes are not sustained during weight maintenance. This finding might suggest that the microbiome should be targeted during obesity programs.
Methodological quality
Allocation concealment
:
Not applicable
