Sammanfattning
Background
In recent years, evidence has emerged
suggesting that an imbalance or
perturbation
in the intestinal flora, a
so-called dysbiosis, can contribute to
the development of certain metabolic
diseases. The aim of this review is to
provide a short overview of how the gut
microbiota contributes to the pathophysiology
of obesity, type 2 diabetes and
atherosclerosis.
Material and methods
The review is based on a qualified
selection
of relevant articles found by
searching the PubMed database.
Results
Patients suffering from obesity, type 2
diabetes and atherosclerosis present
with an atypical and less diverse
content
of intestinal bacteria. Obesity,
type 2 diabetes
and atherosclerosis are
chronic
inflammatory diseases where
intestinal
bacteria or their products
can be important
factors.
Prebiotics,
probiotics
and antibiotics have been
evaluated for potential benefit in the
treatment of dysbiosis.
Available data
suggest that both pre- and probiotics
may have a therapeutic value, whereas
clinical documentation so far is sparse.
Attempted remedy of dysbiosis by the use
of antibiotics will probably have more
negative than positive effects.
Conclusion
The involvement of the gut microbiota in
the development of obesity, type 2 diabetes
and atherosclerosis may be connected
to the role of bacterial products in
the inflammatory response. This opens
the possibility of the gut microbiota as a
potential therapeutic target for the treatment
of metabolic diseases.