Gut Health and the Microbiome: The Hidden Drivers of Obesity

Obesity is a complex disease that spreads globally as a pandemic which affects all human activities from basic daily functions to advanced medical conditions that transform entire communities. The core factors of dietary excess and sedentary lifestyles continue to drive obesity but scientific evidence demonstrates that the gut microbiome plays a crucial role in regulating energy balance and body fat as well as metabolic wellness. High-throughput sequencing technology has transformed our understanding of this problem while showing how gut microbial communities affect nutrient absorption and host metabolism while protecting us from increased systemic inflammation. These new discoveries are emergent and promising to help us understand how to manage this complex multifactorial condition. This review examines the developing mechanisms through which gut microbes affect obesity while assessing preclinical and human study evidence and discussing potential therapeutic approaches to modify the microbiome for obesity treatment and its related conditions.