At present, the prevalence of chronic metabolic diseases such as diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases is increasing year by year. Tracing the source, obesity and overweight are the major causes of chronic metabolic disorders.

 
According to the latest global survey on obesity, the number of obese children in China ranks first in the world and the number of obese adults ranks second in the world. However, at present, there are only a few drugs that can be effectively used for weight loss treatment, and most of them have problems of low effective response rate, large side effects, long-term use, and weight loss after stopping.

How to find a safe and effective weight loss targets and drugs? 

Researchers believe that the intestinal flora residing in the human body co-evolution with humans, affecting the body's metabolism and life processes. Western population studies have shown that obese people have intestinal flora dysregulation, bacterial diversity decreased. How is the intestinal flora of obese people in China? How to affect the body's metabolism? Is it possible to use gut symbiotic bacteria to develop weight-loss drugs?

From Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine Affiliated Ruijin Hospital was informed that the hospital endocrine professor team released a latest research results show that changes in intestinal flora and host metabolites were significantly correlated, and further animal-level intervention studies to prove that Bacteroides rhizobium (Bacteroidesthetaiotaomicron, referred to as BT bacteria) can reduce the fat content of normal diet and high-calorie diet, slowing the rate of weight gain.

Mouse experiments: BT bacteria gavage to reduce fat accumulation 

A strain of BT that metabolizes glutamate enters the researcher's eye.

Glutamate is the main ingredient of MSG. Previous Chinese Health Nutrition Survey showed that glutamate intake can increase the risk of overweight in Chinese adults. Ruijin Hospital endocrine team found in this study, BT bacteria gavage can reduce the concentration of serum glutamate in mice and increase fat cells fat decomposition and fatty acid oxidation process, thereby reducing fat accumulation, to achieve weight loss.

To further demonstrate the role of BT bacteria in gaining weight, the team also partnered with the Surgery Faculty team at Ruijin Hospital to analyze changes in gut flora profiles in obese patients undergoing gastric volume reduction surgery (weight loss surgery) before and after surgery.

The study found that obese patients with decreased intestinal bacteria in the intestine in the weight loss surgery after 3 months was significantly elevated to normal weight to return to normal levels; the same time, postoperative serum glutamate levels also dropped significantly, also close to normal weight control population. These findings suggest that the restoration of BT levels may contribute to weight loss in obese patients.

Based on the multi-level evidence of cohorts, animals and clinical interventions, researchers believe that BT is expected to be the target of new probiotics for weight-loss drug or food development. Of course, its long-term clinical safety and efficacy also need more follow-up intervention studies confirmed.

Because people's dietary characteristics and genetic background and Western populations vary greatly, there are also large differences in microbial characteristics. This work will undoubtedly provide a new direction and candidate strains for the future development of Chinese weight-loss drugs. Ruijin endocrine team will work with drug research and development departments to promote the transformation of probiotics in the application of weight-loss drugs to reduce the prevalence of obesity, the early benefits to obesity and overweight patients.