Guangdong Institute of Microbiology

The baseline characteristics of the intestinal flora are the determinants of the weight loss effect on low-carbohydrate diet (LCD)

Data：18-10-2021 | 【 A A A 】 | 【Print】【Close】

On September 15th, Dr. Xie Liwei from the State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology South China and the Research Group of Gut Microbiome and Health at the Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences collaborated with Professor Chen Hong and Professor Sun Jia from the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University. They published their clinical microbiological research on the journal of Microbiology Spectrum entitled with “Gut Microbiota Serves a Predictable Outcome of Short-Term Low-Carbohydrate Diet (LCD) Intervention for Patients with Obesity”. This study for the first time reported that the baseline characteristics of intestinal flora are the determinants of the short-term low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) weight loss effect of overweight and obese people. An artificial neural network was constructed to predict the effect of LCD weight loss based on the baseline characteristics of intestinal flora (Artificial Neural Network). Neural Networks, ANN) model. This work provides a scientific reference for clinical medicine weight management and intervention strategies.

Globally, the prevalence of overweight/obesity is increasing rapidly. Obesity and its complications not only seriously affect the quality of life of patients, but also bring a heavy economic burden to society and families. Low carbohydrate diets (LCD) is a dietary intervention mode for weight loss treatment. However, in different studies, the weight loss effects of LCD intervention are quite different. There is not enough evidence to explain this difference. This is a qualitative phenomenon, which is also a difficult point in the field of medical weight management.

The study selected 51 male or female (18-65-year-old) subjects who met the diagnostic criteria for overweight/obesity (no antibiotics or drugs were used in the first 3 months of the clinical trial). The subjects were randomized into groups and were divided into different groups. The energy-restricted normal diet (ND) group and the non-calorie-restricted low-carbohydrate diet group (LCD). The diet intervention time was 12 weeks. The results of the study show that in overweight/obese people, short-term LCD intervention without calorie restriction has a significant weight loss effect without significant adverse effects. There are individual differences in short-term LCD weight loss. The relative abundance of Bacteroidaceae Bacteroides at baseline before LCD intervention is positively correlated with the short-term LCD intervention weight loss effect. Finally, the study constructed a high-precision ANN prediction model based on the relative abundance of the intestinal flora at the baseline. Through the ANN prediction model, it was found that the baseline relative abundance of the intestinal flora can be used as a predictor of the individualized weight loss effect before LCD intervention. It has important guiding significance for clinical medicine weight management.

Link: https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/Spectrum.00223-21