Probiotics and Obesity: Insights from Recent Research

Obesity is a widespread public health problem, and its pathogenesis is complex. It refers to excessive accumulation and/or abnormal distribution of fat in the body. The global prevalence of obesity continues to rise, primarily driven by an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. Intestinal flora plays a significant regulatory role in metabolic disorders and obesity, with notable differences in its composition observed between individuals with obesity and those of normal weight. Several studies have indicated that probiotics can ameliorate high-fat diet-induced obesity. The intestinal microbial community is less rich in obese individuals than that in normal-weight individuals, and the change in the microbial community at the genus level is closely related to obesity. Therefore, modulating the intestinal microbiota may represent an effective strategy for controlling or even preventing obesity, and certain probiotics have demonstrated promising anti-obesity effects. This review aims to summarise the experimental approaches used to study probiotics in the context of obesity, as well as the body weight-reducing effects and mechanisms of action of probiotics in both experimental and clinical settings. It is intended to provide researchers with an updated understanding of the benefits of weight-management probiotics and to offer a reference for subsequent investigations in this field.