A relação entre microbiota intestinal e obesidade infantil: uma revisão.

Abstract

Obesity is classified as a Chronic Noncommunicable Disease (NCD), which is mainly characterized by excessive accumulation of body fat and its causes are multifactorial. In turn, the microbiota is defined as the set of microorganisms that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of human beings. Thus, the imbalance of this environment is responsible for causing adverse effects to the health of the host, being considered an important element for the genesis of obesity. Thus, the objective of this work was to investigate in the literature the relationship between the intestinal microbiota and the development of obesity in childhood. For this, a search was carried out through computerized databases, such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Scielo and Lilacs, with studies published between 2011 and 2021. Therefore, the studies used in the present work were evaluated and selected respecting previously established procedures for inclusion in this review. The presentation of the results was displayed through tables and in a discursive way. In general, most studies have shown a positive correlation between the composition of the intestinal microbiota and the development of obesity, characterized mainly by the differences found in the structure of this environment in obese and eutrophic children, thus considering the existence of an “obesogenic microbiota”. Likewise, they demonstrated that their imbalance triggers an increase in pathogenic bacteria, configuring a risk situation, given that these phyla are related to facilitating the absorption and storage of energy. However, it is notable that studies are still scarce, so it is necessary to develop new research addressing the subject to clarify the exact mechanism by which the intestinal microbiota contributes to obesity.