MICROBIOTA, OBESITY AND INSULIN RESISTANCE

Unraveling the impact if the microbiome on metabolic health in humans

Over the last decades, the prevalence of obesity has reached epidemicproportions, with an increasing impact on health care. Several recent studies have indicated that the composition of the gut microbiota might play a prominent role in body weight regulation and impairments in metabolic health. Moreover, perturbations in microbial populations may contribute to changes in body weight, inflammation, glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Importantly, however, mechanistic studies almost exclusively have been performed  in rodent models, and most human evidence comes from large metagenomic studies. Therefore, the studies described in this thesis investigated the  impact of manipulation of the gut microbiota composition on human physiology in subjects at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus. In addition, we examined the relationship between the microbiota composition at the genus level and tissue specific insulin sensitivity, as determined by the gold standard hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp.

Dorien Reijnders, September 21st 2016