Open-access ARE ENTEROTYPES IN OBESE MODIFIED BY BARIATRIC SURGERY, THE USE OF PROBIOTIC SUPPLEMENTS AND FOOD HABITS?

ABSTRACT

Introduction:   Studies suggest that bariatric surgery, use of probiotic supplements and the dietary pattern can change enterotypes, as well as the entire microbial population.

Objective:   To verify the influence of bariatric surgery, the use of probiotic supplements and eating habits on enterotypes in obese patients.

Methods:   Articles published between the 2015 and 2020 were searched in Lilacs and PubMed with the headings: probiotics, eating behavior, food consumption, food, diet, microbiota, gastrointestinal microbiome, bariatric surgery, gastric bypass and the keyword enterotype in Portuguese, English and Spanish.

Results:  Of the 260 articles found, only studies carried out in obese adults relating changes in the enterotype after bariatric surgery or use of probiotics or dietary patterns and original articles were selected. In the end, eight papers on enterotype change and bariatric surgery were selected and categorized, four on the relationship between food consumption and microbiota and one on the effects of probiotics on enterotypes.

Conclusion:   The microbial structure is widely modified after bariatric surgery, since the use of probiotic supplement does not bring lasting changes. Enterotypes appear to be shaped by long-term dietary patterns, can modulate how nutrients are metabolized and can be a useful biomarker to improve clinical management.

HEADINGS: Probiotic; Food consumption; Microbiota; Gastric bypass; Obesity

RESUMO

Introdução:   Estudos sugerem que a cirurgia bariátrica, uso de suplementos probióticos e o padrão alimentar podem mudar enterótipos, assim como toda a população microbiana.

Objetivo:  Verificar a influência da cirurgia bariátrica, do uso de suplementos probióticos e de hábitos alimentares nos enterótipos de pacientes obesos.

Métodos:   Foi realizada a busca de artigos publicados entre os anos de 2015 e 2020 nas bases de dados Lilacs e PubMed com os descritores: probióticos, comportamento alimentar, consumo alimentar, alimentação, dieta, microbiota, microbioma gastrointestinal, cirurgia bariátrica, bypass gástrico e a palavra-chave enterótipo em português, inglês e espanhol.

Resultados:  Dos 260 artigos encontrados, foram selecionados os estudos originais realizados em adultos obesos relacionando mudanças de enterótipo após cirurgia bariátrica, a padrões alimentares ou ao uso de probiótico. Ao final, foram selecionados e categorizados oito estudos sobre mudança de enterótipo e cirurgia bariátrica, quatro sobre relação entre consumo alimentar e microbiota e somente um sobre efeitos dos probióticos nos enterótipos.

Conclusão:   A estrutura microbiana é amplamente modificada após a cirurgia bariátrica. O uso de suplemento probiótico não parece trazer mudanças duradouras. Os enterótipos parecem ser moldados por padrões alimentares em longo prazo e podem modular como os nutrientes são metabolizados, podendo vir a ser um biomarcador útil para melhorar o manejo clínico de pacientes obesos.

DESCRITORES: Probiótico; Consumo alimentar; Microbiota; Bypass gástrico; Obesidade

INTRODUCTION

By a multifactorial cause, obesity is closely linked to incorrect eating habits6. With the global obesity epidemic, bariatric surgery is now considered the most effective, prompt and long-lasting treatment for patients with morbid obesity16. The most performed techniques in the world are Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and vertical gastrectomy8.

The intestinal microbiota is colonized by about 100 trillion bacteria which contribute to 3.3 million unique microbial genes and is unique to each individual21. After bariatric surgery, eating habits change, patients often use medications and supplements, including probiotics, there is an intense change in body weight, and patients often incorporate healthier lifestyle habits, such as physical activity. All of these factors together have the potential to influence the composition of the intestinal microbiota21.

The evaluation of individual’s microbiota is complex, since it is specific to each one. For this reason, the proposition arose to group intestinal bacteria in groups, called enterotypes10. A recent study analyzed faecal metagenomas of individuals from different countries using multidimensional cluster analysis and main components2. The authors were able to group faecal metagenomas into three different enterotypes, which were identified by relative amounts of any of the three dominant genera: Bacteroides (enterotype 1), Prevotella (enterotype 2) and Ruminococcus (enterotype 3). Interestingly, these enterotypes appear to be independent of nationality, gender, age or body mass index (BMI).

However, the results of another study25 improvement that enterotypes may be strongly associated with the composition of the diet in long term. Enterotype 1, rich in Bacteroides, was strongly associated with the consumption of animal proteins and saturated fats. Enterotype 2, rich in Prevotella, was associated with a carbohydrate-based diet, composed of simple sugars and fibers. Enterotype 3, on the other hand, seems to be strongly related to individual health status18. Although it is not known whether enterotypes may be associated with predisposition to certain disease states, these findings have improved that long-term dietary patterns may affect the state of the enterotype, a nutritional-microbiome connection and the pathophysiology in relation to those susceptible to the disease25.

Oral administration of supplements with probiotic strains is associated with verified benefits for human health and its use has become usual even after bariatric surgery. Probiotics are living microorganisms that, since they already reside naturally in the healthy human microbiota, when used in an adequate dosage, are safe and confer benefits to the host19,20.

There is evidence that bariatric surgery induces changes in the intestinal microbiota1,16 and that each enterotype seems to be strongly associated with food choices, affecting the quantity of specific strains differently in the intestinal microbiota9,19,21. It is also known that the use of probiotics can also modulate the microbiota of the general population13. However, studies in the literature that contemplate all of these themes have not been found.

Thus, the aim of this study was to verify the impact of bariatric surgery, the use of probiotics and eating habits on the enterotypes of obese patients.

METHODS

This is an integrative literature review, accomplished out based on: identification of the theme and selection of the research question, establishment of inclusion and exclusion criteria, identification of pre-selected and selected studies, categorization of selected studies, analysis and interpretation of results and presentation of the review3.

The guiding question of this review was: “Can bariatric surgery, the use of probiotic supplements and eating habits affect or modify enterotypes in obese patients?”

The data collection period occurred between the months of May and June 2020 in the Pubmed and Lilacs databases. The following Health Sciences Descriptors (DeCS) and boolean combinations were used: “probiotics”, “eating behavior”, “food consumption”, “food”, “diet”, “microbiota”, “gastrointestinal microbiome”, “bariatric surgery “,” gastric bypass “,” obesity “and the keyword:” enterotype “.

Articles available in portuguese and english, in their entirety, that included changes in enterotypes after bariatric surgery, the use of probiotics or related to dietary patterns were included. Only original articles published and indexed in the referred databases in the last five years were included. Review articles, studies in animals and children and those in which the population was not obese were excluded.

From those selected, data of interest were collected for analysis using a collection instrument that embrace publication, sample, objectives, methodology used and main results of each study. For the tabulation of probiotic studies, in addition to the items previously mentioned, a description of the strains used was added.

Data analysis was performed in a descriptive and comparative way and the studies were categorized into three tables. Those who showed changes in the composition of the intestinal microbiota in individuals undergoing bariatric surgery, studies that related the changes to food consumption and those who studied the use of some probiotic supplementation.

RESULTS

After associating the terms, 237 articles were found indexed in the Pubmed database and 23 in Lilacs. After reading the titles, were excluded the duplicates, those that did not meet the inclusion criteria and those that were not relevant to the theme. At the end of the search, 13 articles were selected then analyzed and discussed (Figure 1).

FIGURE 1
Flowchart of the selection of articles included in the review

Of the 13 studies, eight were aimed at changing the microbiota after bariatric surgery; four related the enterotypes with eating habits; and one examined the influence of the use of probiotic supplementation on the microbiota.

Studies that evaluated changes in the composition of the intestinal microbiota after bariatric surgery (Table 1) point out that there was a change in enterotypes, an increase in alpha diversity, a relative increase in Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Fusobacteria phyla. Such changes occur from the first three months4,5,16,17 post-surgical and can extend for up to 10 years22. However, one study8 has not found significant changes in the compositions of enterotypes over time.

TABLE 1
Changes in the composition of the intestinal microbiota in individuals undergoing bariatric surgery

Regarding the studies that analyzed changes in enterotypes related to food consumption (Table 2), there was a change in enterotypes Prevotella to Bacteroidetes. The consumption of carbohydrates7,11,19 and animal protein12,19 can modify the enterotypes, as well as the type of enterotype can modulate the responses to the diet.

TABLE 2
Enterotype changes and their relationship with habits and food consumption

In relation to the studies that evaluated change of enterotype with the use of probiotics (Table 3), none were able to observe lasting change. In obese individuals with Prevotella enterotype, the probiotics B. breve CBT BR3 and L. plantarum CBT LP3 seem to have a beneficial effect20.

TABLE 3
Enterotype changes in individuals using some probiotic supplementation

DISCUSSION

According to the findings in the present study, bariatric surgery appears to alter the microbial community. The changes in general occur from the third month on both the RYGB and gastric band techniques8,16. There is no consensus on the duration of this change. Few studies16,22 have investigated such changes for more than a year, but one reported that the change produced by the operation is specific to the microbiota and can persist for up to a decade.

In the first three months after bariatric surgery, there was an increase in alpha diversity5 and a shift to a healthier metabolism, with an increase in species richness. Genetic richness, on the other hand, seems to increase only one year after the operation16. Alpha diversity as it represents the diversity of a habitat or a community of microorganisms and describes the wealth and equality of individuals, can be used as an interesting indirect marker to assess the effectiveness of surgical treatment in terms of restoring the function of intestinal microflora4.

After RYGB, there was a reduction in Firmicutes5, an increase in Proteobacteria5,16,17,22, Prevotella4, Bacteroidetes4,5,23, Firmicutes4, Fusobacteria14,16, Actinobacteria4, Kleibsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia col16, Gammaproteobacteria14 and A. muciniphila8. The increase in Proteobacteria after RYGB is already well established in the literature and occurs due to changes in environmental, physiological and metabolic conditions16. Such changes, as the increase in intestinal oxygen, the growth of facultative anaerobic bacteria4,14 and the increase in pH facilitate the survival of microorganisms sensitive to acid14,17, and promote changes in the microbial composition. Thus, microbial changes after RYGB are more due to intestinal rearrangement than to weight loss16. Despite this, the abundance of Proteobacteria is not considered beneficial, due to its pro-inflammatory property22.

Regarding the exchange of enterotypes, a study with women after bariatric surgery showed changes from the enterotype Bacteroidetes 2 to Bacteroidetes 1, indicating an important characteristic in the improvement of metabolic results1. The Prevotella/Bacteroides (P/B) ratio, it remained stable, with a predominance of Bacteroides5.

There was a decrease in Proteobacteria in gastric banding techniques and vertical gastrectomy5, besides to maintaining the P/B ratio before and after the operation4. In the study accomplished out with 14 patients post vertical gastrectomy a difference was observed in terms of the microbial population with an increase in Verrumicrobia17.

Bariatric surgery, especially BGYR, not only decreases the amount of food eaten, but also changes eating behavior and food preferences15. In such a way, the changes occurred in the microbiota of these patients may be related to changes in patterns and food preferences16,17 as well as related to the situation of hunger induced by the operation and the rapid microbial adaptation to such stress4.

In the general population, the composition of the intestinal microbiome both at the taxonomic and enterotype levels is directly related to the lifestyle and frequency of ingestion of some foods1,13,21,25.

In individuals with a high abundance of Prevotella, greater weight loss was observed with a diet rich in fiber, carbohydrates, proteins and whole grains when compared to a diet based on refined grains and low in fibers7,11. They also showed greater fiber degradation when compared to subjects with Bacteroidetes enterotype7, which can be explained by the fact that high production of short-chain fatty acids affects appetite through different brain signaling pathways, which influence secretion of gastrointestinal hormones.

The P/B ratio was proven to be an important biomarker associated to weight loss with diet11. At the same time that the high P/B ratio is associated with a diet rich in resistant starch and fibers7, the high-fat and low-fiber diet is associated with a low P/B ratio11.

The study that compared the consumption of obese patients for four weeks of a typical Korean diet, a typical American diet, and a recommended American diet, demonstrated that each diet significantly changed the structure of the intestinal microbiota and that responses to diets were affected by the individuals’ initial enterotypes19. The traditional Korean diet, composed mainly of high levels of vegetables, whole grains, low levels of animal foods and saturated fat demonstrated a decrease in Bacteroidetes and a significant increase in Firmicutes suggesting that Firmicutes are essential for the dietary metabolism of vegetable polysaccharides19.

The observations made show that changes in microbial communities driven by dietary choices may be dependent on the host’s enterotype. It is then suggested that enterotyping provides plausible evidence to be a useful strategy for the development of personalized nutrition19.

Despite of the existence of research on the influence of diet on enterotypes probiotics have still been examined for the possibility of impacting enterotypes at a similar level. The use of probiotics to modulate the intestinal microbiota and treat gastrointestinal symptoms has been considered an alternative to improve surgical results24.

In Prevotella’s enterotype obese individuals, the probiotics may have a beneficial effect; however, such supplementation has not shown significant differences between groups at the phylum level and microbial family20.

Apparently the enterotypes, as well as the entire intestinal microbial population, are shaped mainly by the usual diet, that is, by long-term dietary patterns21. Short-term dietary interventions and probiotics appear to cause only transient changes in the microbiota25.

There are few studies where food intake has been evaluated along with the use of probiotics and despite being impacting factors no studies have been found that evaluated the association between bariatric surgery, changes in food preferences and the use of probiotics on enterotypes, as well as the literature about the change of enterotypes is limited and not only to other microbial changes.

CONCLUSION

The intestinal microbiota is modified after bariatric surgery, and this change can influence enterotypes, especially in the first three postoperative months. Both the anatomical as functional modification of the intestinal tract resulting from bariatric surgery and the dietary modifications imposed by the operation seem to be responsible for the change of the enterotypes after it. The use of probiotic supplementation in obese patients was not associated with lasting changes in enterotype. It remains to be investigated whether the use of probiotics after bariatric surgery could influence the enterotype.

REFERENCES

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  • Financial source:
    none.
  • Central message
    Bariatric surgery and changes in eating habits after surgery influence enterotypes. The use of probiotics wasn’t associated with such changes.
  • Perspective
    Microbial changes occur after bariatric surgery. Enterotypes appear to be shaped by long-term dietary patterns and can modulate how nutrients are metabolized. Enterotyping each patient can be a useful strategy for a better clinical management of obese patients with the development of personalized nutrition.

Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    18 Oct 2021
  • Date of issue
    2021

History

  • Received
    01 Dec 2020
  • Accepted
    11 Mar 2021
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