Treating Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome with Fecal Microbiota Transplantation

Abstract

The worldwide prevalence of metabolic syndrome, which includes obesity and its associated diseases, is rising rapidly. The human gut microbiome is recognized as an independent environmental modulator of host metabolic health and disease. Research in animal models has demonstrated that the gut microbiome has the functional capacity to induce or relieve metabolic syndrome. One way to modify the human gut microbiome is by transplanting fecal matter, which contains an abundance of live microorganisms, from a healthy individual to a diseased one in the hopes of alleviating illness. Here we review recent evidence suggesting efficacy of fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) in animal models and humans for the treatment of obesity and its associated metabolic disorders.

Keywords: Fecal microbiota transplant; metabolic syndrome; obesity.

Figure 1

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation schematic. A) Donor fecal matter is blended with saline solution and pushed through a metal sieve to achieve a homogenous liquid solution. B) Processed fecal microbiota is either delivered via a duodenal tube or colonoscopy. C) Representative data showing metagenomic diversity increases following FMT from lean donor to obese recipient.