ABSTRACT
Microorganisms that harbor in the gastrointestinal tract play fundamental and essential roles in regulating host physiological processes critical for human health. However, in certain conditions, the gut microbiota has been found to play causative and contributory roles in various diseases including metabolic disorders such as obesity and metabolic syndrome. Given the growing obesity epidemic in the U.S. and worldwide, considerable research and resources are being expended to explore the gut microbiota as a therapeutic target and as a source of next-generation biotherapeutics for metabolic diseases. This began with an expansive pursuit to describe and study the composition of the gut microbiota in animals and humans with obesity, particularly in the context of diet-induced obesity. That being said, the field has moved slowly in identifying causal mechanisms by which microorganisms influence the development of obesity and comorbidities. Once inroads are made to define mechanisms behind these intricate host–microbe interactions, effective and targeted therapeutics will follow. Here, we present the most recent evidence establishing a causative and/or contributory role of gut microbes in regulating host metabolism and driving obesity, the mechanisms involved, and the current approaches to target the gut microbiota for better metabolic health.
