BARBOSA, J. N.; BARBOSA, Juliana Nóbrega.
Resumo:
Obesity is considered a serious public health problem, being associated with higher rates of
premature mortality and the development of a series of clinical conditions. It is defined as a
chronic disease, characterized by the excessive accumulation of adipose tissue in the body. In
contrast, the gut microbiota refers to the population of living microorganisms that inhabit the
gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of humans. These microorganisms, in turn, perform numerous
functions crucial to the well-being of the host, however, the imbalance of this microbiota has
been considered a pro-obesity element. Therefore, the modulation of the intestinal microbiota
is seen as a favorable alternative in the prevention and treatment of obesity and the use of foods
or food supplements containing probiotics has been shown to be a relevant option in the control
of this condition. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the relationship between
obesity, intestinal microbiota and use of probiotics, through a review of the literature. For this,
it was carried out through computerized databases, such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Scielo
and Lilacs, written in Portuguese and English, with studies published between the years 2017
to 2021, using the keywords: “Obesity”, “Intestinal Microbiota”, “Dysbiosis”, “Probiotics”.
Thus, the studies used in the present work were evaluated and selected respecting the criteria
previously established for inclusion in this review. After reading 21 studies, 12 articles
considered relevant to compose the research were selected. The presentation of the results was
presented in tables and in discursive characters, in order to facilitate the interpretation and
visualization of the data. In general, the studies demonstrated the influence that the intestinal
microbiota exerts on obesity, due to its potential to act on the physiological and metabolic
functions of the host, such as: in the distribution of body fat, nutrient absorption, lipid
metabolism, among others. The possible effects of the use of probiotics as an adjunct method
to restore the integrity of the intestinal microbiota and consequently help the process of
evolution and improvement of obesity and its symptoms were also presented. However, it is
worth mentioning that further studies are needed to use these microorganisms in the treatment
of obesity with greater precision.