title: The obese gut microbiome across the epidemiologic transition.
abstract: The obesity epidemic has emerged over the past few decades and is thought to be a result of both genetic and environmental factors. A newly identified factor, the gut microbiota, which is a bacterial ecosystem residing within the gastrointestinal tract of humans, has now been implicated in the obesity epidemic. Importantly, this bacterial community is impacted by external environmental factors through a variety of undefined mechanisms. We focus this review on how the external environment may impact the gut microbiota by considering, the host's geographic location 'human geography', and behavioral factors (diet and physical activity). Moreover, we explore the relationship between the gut microbiota and obesity with these external factors. And finally, we highlight here how an epidemiologic model can be utilized to elucidate causal relationships between the gut microbiota and external environment independently and collectively, and how this will help further define this important new factor in the obesity epidemic.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Sciences, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, 2160 S. 1st Ave, Maywood, IL 60153 USA.
authors.forename: Lara R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Dugas
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Molecular Medicine, Northwestern University, Evanston, USA.
authors.forename: Miles
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fuller
authors.affiliation: Argonne National Laboratory, Biosciences Department, Institute for Genomic and Systems Biology, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439 USA ; Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, 1101 E 57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637 USA ; Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543 USA ; College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058 China.
authors.forename: Jack
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Molecular Medicine, Northwestern University, Evanston, USA ; Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL USA.
authors.forename: Brian T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Layden
keywords: Geographical differences; Gut microbiome; Obesity