Impact of a Moderately Hypocaloric Mediterranean Diet on the Gut Microbiota Composition of Italian Obese Patients

Although it is known that the gut microbiota (GM) can be modulated by diet, the efficacy of specific dietary interventions in determining its composition and diversity in obese patients remains to be ascertained. The present work aims to evaluate the impact of a moderately hypocaloric Mediterranean...

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Main Authors: Silvia Pisanu, Vanessa Palmas, Veronica Madau, Emanuela Casula, Andrea Deledda, Roberto Cusano, Paolo Uva, Sarah Vascellari, Francesco Boi, Andrea Loviselli, Aldo Manzin, Fernanda Velluzzi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-09-01
Series:Nutrients
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/9/2707
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spelling doaj-4a91d0a7b04b4d49939141bf3d6976252020-11-25T03:26:58ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432020-09-01122707270710.3390/nu12092707Impact of a Moderately Hypocaloric Mediterranean Diet on the Gut Microbiota Composition of Italian Obese PatientsSilvia Pisanu0Vanessa Palmas1Veronica Madau2Emanuela Casula3Andrea Deledda4Roberto Cusano5Paolo Uva6Sarah Vascellari7Francesco Boi8Andrea Loviselli9Aldo Manzin10Fernanda Velluzzi11Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, ItalyDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, ItalyDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, ItalyDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, ItalyDepartment of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, ItalyCRS4, Science and Technology Park Polaris, Piscina Manna, Pula, 09010 Cagliari, ItalyCRS4, Science and Technology Park Polaris, Piscina Manna, Pula, 09010 Cagliari, ItalyDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, ItalyDepartment of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, ItalyDepartment of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, ItalyDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, ItalyDepartment of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, ItalyAlthough it is known that the gut microbiota (GM) can be modulated by diet, the efficacy of specific dietary interventions in determining its composition and diversity in obese patients remains to be ascertained. The present work aims to evaluate the impact of a moderately hypocaloric Mediterranean diet on the GM of obese and overweight patients (OB). The GM of 23 OB patients (F/M = 20/3) was compared before (T0) and after 3 months (T3) of nutritional intervention (NI). Fecal samples were analyzed by Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. At baseline, GM characterization confirmed typical obesity-associated dysbiosis. After 3 months of NI, patients presented a statistically significant reduction in body weight and fat mass, along with changes in the relative abundance of many microbial patterns. In fact, an increase in the abundance of several Bacteroidetes taxa (i.e., Sphingobacteriaceae, <i>Sphingobacterium</i>, <i>Bacteroides</i> spp., <i>Prevotella stercorea</i>) and a depletion of many Firmicutes taxa (i.e., Lachnospiraceae members, Ruminococcaceae and <i>Ruminococcus</i>, Veillonellaceae, <i>Catenibacterium</i>, <i>Megamonas)</i> were observed. In addition, the phylum Proteobacteria showed an increased abundance, while the genus <i>Sutterella</i>, within the same phylum, decreased after the intervention. Metabolic pathways, predicted by bioinformatic analyses, showed a decrease in membrane transport and cell motility after NI. The present study extends our knowledge of the GM profiles in OB, highlighting the potential benefit of moderate caloric restriction in counteracting the gut dysbiosis.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/9/2707gut microbiotaobesityweight lossMediterranean diet16S rRNAhigh-throughput sequencing
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Silvia Pisanu
Vanessa Palmas
Veronica Madau
Emanuela Casula
Andrea Deledda
Roberto Cusano
Paolo Uva
Sarah Vascellari
Francesco Boi
Andrea Loviselli
Aldo Manzin
Fernanda Velluzzi
spellingShingle Silvia Pisanu
Vanessa Palmas
Veronica Madau
Emanuela Casula
Andrea Deledda
Roberto Cusano
Paolo Uva
Sarah Vascellari
Francesco Boi
Andrea Loviselli
Aldo Manzin
Fernanda Velluzzi
Impact of a Moderately Hypocaloric Mediterranean Diet on the Gut Microbiota Composition of Italian Obese Patients
Nutrients
gut microbiota
obesity
weight loss
Mediterranean diet
16S rRNA
high-throughput sequencing
author_facet Silvia Pisanu
Vanessa Palmas
Veronica Madau
Emanuela Casula
Andrea Deledda
Roberto Cusano
Paolo Uva
Sarah Vascellari
Francesco Boi
Andrea Loviselli
Aldo Manzin
Fernanda Velluzzi
author_sort Silvia Pisanu
title Impact of a Moderately Hypocaloric Mediterranean Diet on the Gut Microbiota Composition of Italian Obese Patients
title_short Impact of a Moderately Hypocaloric Mediterranean Diet on the Gut Microbiota Composition of Italian Obese Patients
title_full Impact of a Moderately Hypocaloric Mediterranean Diet on the Gut Microbiota Composition of Italian Obese Patients
title_fullStr Impact of a Moderately Hypocaloric Mediterranean Diet on the Gut Microbiota Composition of Italian Obese Patients
title_full_unstemmed Impact of a Moderately Hypocaloric Mediterranean Diet on the Gut Microbiota Composition of Italian Obese Patients
title_sort impact of a moderately hypocaloric mediterranean diet on the gut microbiota composition of italian obese patients
publisher MDPI AG
series Nutrients
issn 2072-6643
publishDate 2020-09-01
description Although it is known that the gut microbiota (GM) can be modulated by diet, the efficacy of specific dietary interventions in determining its composition and diversity in obese patients remains to be ascertained. The present work aims to evaluate the impact of a moderately hypocaloric Mediterranean diet on the GM of obese and overweight patients (OB). The GM of 23 OB patients (F/M = 20/3) was compared before (T0) and after 3 months (T3) of nutritional intervention (NI). Fecal samples were analyzed by Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. At baseline, GM characterization confirmed typical obesity-associated dysbiosis. After 3 months of NI, patients presented a statistically significant reduction in body weight and fat mass, along with changes in the relative abundance of many microbial patterns. In fact, an increase in the abundance of several Bacteroidetes taxa (i.e., Sphingobacteriaceae, <i>Sphingobacterium</i>, <i>Bacteroides</i> spp., <i>Prevotella stercorea</i>) and a depletion of many Firmicutes taxa (i.e., Lachnospiraceae members, Ruminococcaceae and <i>Ruminococcus</i>, Veillonellaceae, <i>Catenibacterium</i>, <i>Megamonas)</i> were observed. In addition, the phylum Proteobacteria showed an increased abundance, while the genus <i>Sutterella</i>, within the same phylum, decreased after the intervention. Metabolic pathways, predicted by bioinformatic analyses, showed a decrease in membrane transport and cell motility after NI. The present study extends our knowledge of the GM profiles in OB, highlighting the potential benefit of moderate caloric restriction in counteracting the gut dysbiosis.
topic gut microbiota
obesity
weight loss
Mediterranean diet
16S rRNA
high-throughput sequencing
url https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/9/2707
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