Search

Background: Faecal dysbiosis associated with the use of metformin has been conceived as a favourable ("good") dysbiosis and that with intake of non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) as unfavourable ("bad"). The study aimed to construct an alternative dysbiosis index (ADI) for the separation of the dysbioses into "good" and "bad", and to validate the ADI., Methods: Subjects with morbid obesity were included. Use of NNS and drugs were noted, IBS was classified according to the Rome III criteria and the severity measured with the Irritable bowel severity scoring system (IBSSS). Faecal dysbiosis was tested with GA-Map ™ Dysbiosis test (Genetic Analysis AS, Oslo, Norway). The result was given as Dysbiosis Index (DI) scores 1-5, score > 2 indicates dysbiosis. An ADI was constructed and validated in subjects with IBS at another hospital., Results: Seventy-six women and 14 men aged 44.7 years (SD 8.6) with BMI 41.8 kg/m 2 (SD 3.6) were included. Dysbiosis was associated with the use of NNS and metformin, but not with IBS or IBSSS. An ADI based on differences in 7 bacteria was positively and negatively associated with the "good" metformin dysbiosis and the "bad" NNS dysbiosis respectively. The ADI was also negatively associated with IBSSS (a "bad" dysbiosis). The negative associations between ADI and IBS and IBSS were confirmed in the validation group., Conclusions: The new ADI, but not the DI, allowed separation of the "good" and "bad" faecal dysbiosis. Rather than merely reporting dysbiosis and degrees of dysbiosis, future diagnostic tests should distinguish between types of dysbiosis., Competing Interests: The study was approved by the Norwegian Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics, PB 1130, Blindern, 0318 Oslo, Norway (reference number 2012/966 and 2013/454) and performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was given by all participants before inclusion.Not applicable.The authors declare that they have no competing interests.Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Background: Subjects with morbid obesity commonly use Non-Nutritive Sweeteners (NNS), but the health-related effects of NNS have been questioned. The objectives of this study were to explore the associations between theuse of NNS and the health and lifestyle in subjects with morbid obesity., Methods: This cross-sectional study included subjects with morbid obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m 2 or ≥35 kg/m 2 with obesity-related comorbidity). Information about demographics, physical and mental health, and dietary habits was collected, and a blood screen was taken. One unit of NNS was defined as 100 ml beverages with NNS or 2 tablets/units of NNS for coffee or tea. The associations between the intake of NNS and the health-related variables were analyzed with ordinal regression analyses adjusted for age, gender and BMI., Results: One hundred subjects (women/men 83/17; mean age 44.3 years (SD 8.5)) were included. Median intake of NNS was 3.3 units (range 0 - 43). Intake of NNS was not associated with BMI ( p  = 0.64). The intake of NNS was associated with reduced heavy physical activity ( p  = 0.011), fatigue ( p  < 0.001), diarrhea ( p  = 0.009) and reduced well-being ( p  = 0.046); with increased intake of total energy ( p  = 0.003), fat ( p  = 0.013), carbohydrates ( p  = 0.002), sugar ( p  = 0.003) and salt ( p  = 0.001); and with reduced intake of the vitamins A ( p  = 0.001), C ( p  = 0.002) and D ( p  = 0.016)., Conclusions: The use of NNS-containing beverages was associated with an unhealthy lifestyle, reduced physical and mental health and unfavourable dietary habits with increased energy intake including sugar, and reduced intake of some vitamins., Competing Interests: The study was approved by the Norwegian Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics, PB 1130, Blindern, 0318 Oslo, Norway (reference number 2012/966) and performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was given by all participants before inclusion.Not applicable.The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Background: Baker's/brewer's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae , has been used as an alternative to antibiotic growth promoters to improve growth performance in animals. In humans, Saccharomyces cerevisiae is among the most commonly detected fungi in fecal samples and likely originates from food. Recently, an association between anti- Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA) and obesity in humans was suggested, but the cause of the elevated ASCA levels is not clear. Our aim was to study ASCA in morbidly obese subjects and explore potential associations with anthropometrics, diet, co-morbidities and biomarkers of inflammation and gut permeability., Methods: Subjects with morbid obesity referred to a specialized hospital unit were included. Diet and clinical data were recorded with self-administered questionnaires. Main dietary sources of baker's/brewer's yeast (e.g. bread and beer) were used as a proxy for the intake of yeast. Laboratory analyses included ASCA, serum zonulin (reflecting gut permeability), C-reactive protein and a routine haematological and biochemical screening., Results: One-hundred-and-forty subjects; 109 (78%) female, 98 with dietary records, mean age 43 years and BMI 42 kg/m 2 were included. The number of ASCA positive subjects was 31 (22%) for IgG, 4 (2.9%) for IgA and 3 (2.1%) for IgM. Age, body fat mass and C-reactive protein were significantly higher in IgG-positive compared to IgG-negative subjects ( P  < 0.05). A borderline significant association was found between elevated zonulin and ASCA IgG-positivity ( P  = 0.06). No association was found between yeast-containing food and ASCA IgG-positivity, or between yeast-containing food and fat mass., Conclusions: The findings indicate that ASCA IgG-positivity may be linked to the generalized inflammation commonly seen with increased adiposity, but not to dietary yeast intake. Other potential causes for the raised ASCA IgG concentrations, such as genetic predisposition, deviations in the gut microbiota and cross-reactivity of ASCA with other antigens, were not explored.

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome has been reported as more common in patients with morbid obesity than in the general population. The reason for this association is unknown. The aims of this study were to study the prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome and other functional bowel disorders in patients with morbid obesity, and to search for predictors of irritable bowel syndrome., Methods: Patients opting for bariatric surgery at two obesity centers in South-Eastern Norway were included. Functional bowel disorders were diagnosed according to the Rome III criteria. Predictors were evaluated in a multivariable logistic regression analysis with irritable bowel syndrome as the dependent variable., Results: A total of 350 (58%) out of 603 consecutive patients were included. The prevalence rates of irritable bowel syndrome at the two centers were 17/211 (8%) and 37/139 (27%) respectively. High low-density lipoprotein (OR 2.10; 95% CI 1.34-3.29), self-reported psychiatric disorders (OR 2.39; 95% CI 1.12-5.08) and center (OR 5.22; 95% CI 2.48-10.99) were independent predictors of irritable bowel syndrome., Conclusions: At one of the two obesity centers, the prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome was threefold higher than in the general population in the same region. The high prevalence appears to be related to dietary differences or altered absorption or metabolism of fat. Attention to irritable bowel syndrome is important in the care of patients with morbid obesity.