The Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes Ratio: A Relevant Marker of Gut Dysbiosis in Obese Patients?

Nutrients

Ramadass Balamurugan¹  Susana Pesoa²  Martin Gotteland³  Lea Gauthier³  Paola Navarrete⁴  Fabien Magne⁵  Alejandra Zazueta⁵ 

[1] Department of Biochemistry, AIIMS, Bhubaneswar 751019, India;Department of Molecular Diagnosis, LACE Laboratories, Córdoba X5000, Argentina;Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago 8320000, Chile;Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile, Santiago 7830490, Chile;Microbiology and Mycology Program, ICBM, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago 8320000, Chile;

关键词: Microbiota;    gut;    obesity;    dysbiosis;    Firmicutes;    Bacteroidetes;   

DOI  :  10.3390/nu12051474

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The gut microbiota is emerging as a promising target for the management or prevention of inflammatory and metabolic disorders in humans. Many of the current research efforts are focused on the identification of specific microbial signatures, more particularly for those associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Some studies have described that the gut microbiota of obese animals and humans exhibits a higher Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio compared with normal-weight individuals, proposing this ratio as an eventual biomarker. Accordingly, the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio is frequently cited in the scientific literature as a hallmark of obesity. The aim of the present review was to discuss the validity of this potential marker, based on the great amount of contradictory results reported in the literature. Such discrepancies might be explained by the existence of interpretative bias generated by methodological differences in sample processing and DNA sequence analysis, or by the generally poor characterization of the recruited subjects and, more particularly, the lack of consideration of lifestyle-associated factors known to affect microbiota composition and/or diversity. For these reasons, it is currently difficult to associate the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio with a determined health status and more specifically to consider it as a hallmark of obesity.

【 授权许可】

Unknown