title: Challenges in simulating the human gut for understanding the role of the microbiota in obesity.
abstract: There is an elevated incidence of cases of obesity worldwide. Therefore, the development of strategies to tackle this condition is of vital importance. This review focuses on the necessity of optimising in vitro systems to model human colonic fermentation in obese subjects. This may allow to increase the resolution and the physiological relevance of the information obtained from this type of studies when evaluating the potential role that the human gut microbiota plays in obesity. In light of the parameters that are currently used for the in vitro simulation of the human gut (which are mostly based on information derived from healthy subjects) and the possible difference with an obese condition, we propose to revise and improve specific standard operating procedures.
authors.affiliation: 1 Top Institute of Food and Nutrition, P.O. Box 557, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands.|2 Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands.|3 The Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), P.O. Box 360, 3700 AJ Zeist, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aguirre
authors.affiliation: 1 Top Institute of Food and Nutrition, P.O. Box 557, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands.|2 Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands.|4 Beneficial Microbes Consultancy, Johan Karschstraat 3, 6709 TN Wageningen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Venema
mesh_terms: D003106:Colon / Q000378:metabolism; D005285:Fermentation; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome / Q000502:physiology*; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009765:Obesity / Q000382:microbiology*; D019936:Probiotics
keywords: fermentation; human obesity; intestinal microbiota; simulation