Understanding the gastrointestinal tract in obesity: From gut motility patterns to enzyme secretion.
Steenackers NGabriël EksteenLucas WautersPatrick AugustijnsBart Van der SchuerenTim VanuytselChristophe MatthysPublished in: Neurogastroenterology and motility (2024)
The pathophysiology of obesity has been the product of extensive research, revealing multiple interconnected mechanisms contributing to body weight regulation. The regulation of energy balance involves an intricate network, including the gut-neuroendocrine interplay. As a consequence, research on the gut-brain-microbiota axis in obesity has grown extensively. The physiology of the gastrointestinal tract, far from being underexplored, has significant implications for the development of specific complications in people living with obesity across the fields of gastroenterology, nutrition, and pharmacology. Clinical research indicates higher fasting bile acids serum levels, and blunted postprandial increases in bilious secretions in people living with obesity. Findings are less straightforward for the impact of obesity on gastric emptying with various studies reporting accelerated, normal, or delayed gastric emptying rates. Conversely, the effect of obesity on gastrointestinal pH, gastrointestinal transit, and gastric and pancreatic enzyme secretion is largely unknown. In this review, we explore the current evidence on the gastrointestinal physiology of obesity.
Keyphrases
- insulin resistance
- metabolic syndrome
- weight loss
- high fat diet induced
- type diabetes
- weight gain
- body weight
- multiple sclerosis
- emergency department
- escherichia coli
- body mass index
- blood pressure
- staphylococcus aureus
- cystic fibrosis
- physical activity
- brain injury
- electronic health record
- resting state
- plant growth