title: The relationship between gut microbiota and weight gain in humans.
abstract: The human gut microbiota is a metabolic organ that is determined by a dynamic process of selection and competition. Age, dietary habits and geographical origin of people have an important impact on the intestinal microbiota. The role of the microbiota is still largely unknown, but the bacteria of the gut flora do contribute enzymes that are absent in humans and play an essential role in the catabolism of dietary fibers. Germ-free mice provide a complementary approach for characterizing the properties of the human gut microbiota. Recently, microbial changes in the human gut were proposed to be one of the possible causes of obesity. This review summarizes the latest research on the association between microbial ecology and host weight.
authors.affiliation: Unité des Rickettsies, URMITE -CNRS UMR 6236 IRD 198, IFR 48, Université de la Méditerranée, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille Cedex 05, France. angelotasmanos@msn.com
authors.forename: Emmanouil
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Angelakis
authors.forename: Fabrice
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Armougom
authors.forename: Matthieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Million
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Raoult
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D054892:Metagenome; D051379:Mice; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015430:Weight Gain