Obesity and the Gut Microbiome

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The gut microbiota (GM) comprises a complicated community of bacteria within the human intestinal tract. Nutrient absorption, immune reaction, energy metabolism, and various other physiological functions are all greatly impacted by the extensive and dynamic population of microbes found in the human gut. Scientific study indicates that a disorder in the configuration and role of the gut microbiota known as dysbiosis plays a major part in the development of inflammation leading to the development of obesity and illnesses associated with it like metabolic syndrome, nonalcoholic fatty liver, and the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus and cancer. There is a common interactive relationship between the microbiota in the gut with all the organs in the body including the brain. Food addiction along with dysfunctional eating patterns reflect changes in the interrelationship between the brain- gut-microbiota (BGM), along with a tipping point in this balance towards hedonistic pathways that result in obesity. Research supports the belief that the pathophysiology of obesity is influenced by bidirectional transmission in the gut-brain axis (GBA), which is assisted by the immune system, neurological, endocrine, and metabolic mechanisms. This study discusses the roles played by the gut microbiota in promoting obesity, the comorbidities that go along with it, and how microbial manipulation can assist in avoiding or alleviating weight gain and related comorbidities. It also encompasses the various strategies used to address the issue, including diet modifications to address individual microflora or the use of probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and fecal microbiota transplants (FMT).