The Gut Microbiome’s Effect on Metabolic Syndrome

Introduction: Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is a chronic condition characterized by insulin resistance and low-grade inflammation. The purpose of this review is to focus on pre-/pro/symbiotic supplementation as a means of improving MetS parameters in place of pharmacological intervention. Methods: PubMed was searched with the terms “metabolic syndrome”, “obese”, “obesity”, “overweight”, “insulin resistance”, “insulin sensitivity”, “probiotic”, “symbiotic”, and “bifidobacter*”. Operators and filters narrowed the results down to 55 results, 4 of which were picked due to their relevance and quality. Results: The 4 articles chosen were RCT and a systematic review that explored the Bifidobacterium genus in relationship to the MetS parameters. One systematic review focused on all interventions on the gut microbiome that impacted dysbiosis. The second systematic review focused on different types of pre-/pro-/symbiotic. The RCT either used a probiotic or symbiotic with the Bifidobacterium bacteria and measured the markers of MetS before and after the trial period. Specifically, one of the RCTs used a symbiotic plus dietary intervention’s impact on MetS. Discussion: The articles that were reviewed yielded mixed results. Pre/pro/symbiotic supplementation containing Bifidobacteria seems to be safe for treating, but does not appear to be equivalent or superior to the current standard of care. More research should be conducted to determine what type of pre-/pro/symbiotics should be used for the improvement of MetS.