Cani Patrice D, Delzenne Nathalie M
Université catholique de Louvain, Unit of Pharmacokinetics, Metabolism, Nutrition and Toxicology, Brussels, Belgium.
Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2007 Nov;10(6):729-34. doi: 10.1097/MCO.0b013e3282efdebb.
Gut microbiota plays an important role in health and disease, but this ecosystem remains incompletely characterized and shows a wide diversity. This review discusses new findings that may explain how gut microbiota can be involved in the control of energy and metabolic homeostasis.
Over the past 5 years studies have highlighted some key aspects of the mammalian host-gut microbial relationship. Gut microbiota could now be considered a 'microbial organ' placed within a host organ. Recent data suggest that the modulation of gut microbiota affects host metabolism and has an impact on energy storage. Several mechanisms are proposed that link events occurring in the colon and the regulation of energy metabolism.
Gut microflora may play an even more important role in maintaining human health than previously thought. The literature provides new evidence that the increased prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes cannot be attributed solely to changes in the human genome, nutritional habits, or reduction of physical activity in our daily lives. One must also consider this important new environmental factor, namely gut microbiota. Scientists may take into consideration a key question: could we manipulate the microbiotic environment to treat or prevent obesity and type 2 diabetes? This opens up a new area in nutrition research.
肠道微生物群在健康与疾病中发挥着重要作用，但这一生态系统仍未得到充分表征，且具有广泛的多样性。本综述讨论了一些新发现，这些发现或许能解释肠道微生物群如何参与能量及代谢稳态的调控。
在过去5年里，研究突出了哺乳动物宿主与肠道微生物关系的一些关键方面。如今，肠道微生物群可被视为置于宿主器官内的一个“微生物器官”。近期数据表明，肠道微生物群的调节会影响宿主代谢，并对能量储存产生影响。有人提出了几种将结肠中发生的事件与能量代谢调节联系起来的机制。
肠道微生物群在维持人类健康方面可能发挥着比此前认为的更为重要的作用。文献提供了新证据，表明肥胖症和2型糖尿病患病率的上升不能仅仅归因于人类基因组的变化、饮食习惯或日常生活中体力活动的减少。还必须考虑这一重要的新环境因素，即肠道微生物群。科学家们可能会思考一个关键问题：我们能否通过操控微生物环境来治疗或预防肥胖症和2型糖尿病？这为营养研究开辟了一个新领域。
