The Influence of Probiotics on the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes Ratio in the Treatment of Obesity and Inflammatory Bowel disease

Abstract

The two most important bacterial phyla in the gastrointestinal tract, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, have gained much attention in recent years. The Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio is widely accepted to have an important influence in maintaining normal intestinal homeostasis. Increased or decreased F/B ratio is regarded as dysbiosis, whereby the former is usually observed with obesity, and the latter with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Probiotics as live microorganisms can confer health benefits to the host when administered in adequate amounts. There is considerable evidence of their nutritional and immunosuppressive properties including reports that elucidate the association of probiotics with the F/B ratio, obesity, and IBD. Orally administered probiotics can contribute to the restoration of dysbiotic microbiota and to the prevention of obesity or IBD. However, as the effects of different probiotics on the F/B ratio differ, selecting the appropriate species or mixture is crucial. The most commonly tested probiotics for modifying the F/B ratio and treating obesity and IBD are from the genus Lactobacillus. In this paper, we review the effects of probiotics on the F/B ratio that lead to weight loss or immunosuppression.

Fecal Microbiome and Resistome Profiling of Healthy and Diseased Pakistani Individuals Using Next-Generation Sequencing

“…The diseased subjects in our study changed their diet from an omnivorous type to softer and/or fermented items composed of natural homemade yoghurt, boiled rice with lentils, and custard. Compared to the healthy subjects, the high abundance of Actinobacteria in the diseased subjects could be justified by their dietary interventions (especially intake of natural yoghurt) which is in line with the previous studies indicating the prevalence of Bifidobacterium in patients receiving yoghurt [60][61][62].…”

Pb Toxicity on Gut Physiology and Microbiota

“…Gut microbiome of humans is mainly composed of two major phyla, Bacteroidetes , and Firmicutes . Some researchers considered the F/B ratio ( Firmicutes vs. Bacteroidetes ) crucial to human health, while some do not ( Turnbaugh et al, 2009 ; Zhang et al, 2016 ; Stojanov et al, 2020 ). Accumulating literature shows that intestinal microbiota plays a critical part in the development of various diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, neurological diseases, cancer, and gastrointestinal diseases ( Clemente et al, 2012 ; Lo Presti et al, 2019 ).…”

“…In particular, the relative abundance of Firmicutes significantly increased, while Bacteroidetes exhibited the opposite trend, which indicated that the Pb exposure enhanced the abundant ratio of Firmicutes vs. Bacteroidetes (F/B) to a certain extent ( Wu et al, 2016 ). In some views, an abnormal abundant ratio of F/B is recognized as a vital biomarker of adiposity and lipid metabolic disorder ( Turnbaugh et al, 2009 ; Stojanov et al, 2020 ). Moreover, the authors also detected a total of six taxonomic genera change by early life Pb exposure, with three genera dropped ( Lactococcus , Enterorhabdus , and Caulobacterales ) and three raised ( Desulfovibrionaceae , Barnesiella , and Clostridium XIVb).…”

A Comparative Pilot Study of Bacterial and Fungal Dysbiosis in Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Gastrointestinal Disorders: Commonalities, Specificities and Correlations with Lifestyle

“…In fact, studies have shown an increase in this ratio. Contradicting results have been published earlier, some showing a decrease in this ratio due to a decrease of Bacteroidetes in ASD [ 86 , 87 , 88 , 89 ] and others showing an increase [ 90 ]. In GID, Firmicutes, which is normally the most dominant phylum in the microbiota of healthy guts, was observed at significantly lower levels, leading to an observed decrease in the F/B ratio [ 14 , 16 ].…”