Trying to lose weight? Elevated blood sugar? High cholesterol? Here’s what you need to know.
Your metabolism is directly influenced by your inner microbial ecosystem.
Research highlights several pathways through which the gut microbiome affects metabolic health:
Energy Extraction
- Gut microbiota ferment indigestible polysaccharides into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, propionate, and acetate.
- SCFAs contribute to energy homeostasis and metabolic regulation by serving as energy sources and signaling molecules.
Intestinal Barrier Integrity
- The gut microbiome modulates tight junction proteins and mucin production.
- Maintaining intestinal barrier integrity prevents systemic inflammation and metabolic endotoxemia, which are linked to metabolic disorders.
Bile Acid Metabolism
- Gut bacteria convert primary bile acids into secondary bile acids.
- These secondary bile acids act as signaling molecules, influencing lipid and glucose metabolism through the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and G protein-coupled bile acid receptor (TGR5) pathways.
Host Metabolic and Signaling Pathways
- The microbiome affects gut-derived hormones such as GLP-1 and PYY which influence appetite and satiety, among other things.
- These hormones play crucial roles in insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis, underscoring the microbiome’s potential role in the development of insulin resistance.
Understanding these connections between gut health and metabolic health can help us appreciate the potential for targeted microbiome interventions to improve metabolic health outcomes, including weight loss, blood sugar management and healthy cholesterol levels.
Link to study and visual credit: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2019.00428/full
Be well.
