The influence of bariatric surgery methods on the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio in obese patients

Abstract

Obesity is a worldwide health problem that negatively affects the quality of life. Obese individuals have a high risk for a number of serious chronic diseases. The development of obesity in humans is influenced by proportions of the phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes in the intestinal microbiota. Bariatric surgery is an invasive method that has been successfully used in obesity treatment. The present study was performed to compare the counts of phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes in faecal samples of pre- and post- bariatric surgery (sleeve gastrectomy and roux-en-Y gastric bypass) patients. Obtained results indicated that both bariatric surgery methods had effect on body mass index (BMI) and the counts of the Firmicutes phylum. Patient gender also had an influence on the changes in gut bacterial composition after bariatric surgery.