Microbiome, inflammation and insulin resistance

BackgroundIn recent years, several studies have implicated an association between gut microbiome changes and obesity, type2 diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).ObjectiveThe aim of this review article was to summarize the current evidence on the association between gut microbiome changes and (metabolic) inflammation and insulin resistance.Materials and methodsAPubMed-based literature review was performed.ResultsBoth animal experiments and human studies clearly indicate astatistically significant association between gut microbiome changes and metabolic diseases. Areduction in the overall diversity is frequently documented; however, it should be noted that these findings are not specific for metabolic diseases, since they are also present e.g. in chronic inflammatory bowel disease. According to recent studies, the specificity is determined more by specific bacterial species in the gut. Of interest, both animal experiments and human studies have shown that microbiome interventions result in a reduction of inflammation and an improvement of insulin sensitivity, clearly indicating that the gut microbiome is not only associated with metabolic diseases but is causally implicated in their pathophysiology.ConclusionIn particular studies addressing causal links have implicated the gut microbiome as an interesting future target for the treatment of metabolic diseases, e.g. prediabetes.