A research team led by Chinese scientists have discovered dietary modulation of gut microbiota can alleviate both genetic and simple obesity in children.

The findings of the team, led by Zhao Liping with Shanghai Jiaotong University, Yin Aihua with the Guangdong province children's hospital, and Tang Huiru with Chinese Academy of Sciences, have been published on EBioMedicine, a renowned medical journal co-sponsored by Cell and The Lancet in July.

The team identified bacterial genomes specifically for producing obesity-related metabolites, and said an improved gut microbiota can significantly help to treat genetic obesity such as Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS).

Beginning in childhood, PWS affected kids develop an insatiable appetite, leading to chronic overeating and obesity.

The scientists used a diet therapy with beneficial gut bacteria on trial patients and found considerable diminished appetite, weight loss and improved health conditions on the patients.

The paper concluded dysbiosis of gut microbiota is highly related with both genetic and simple obesity in children, implicating dietary modulation of gut microbiota a potentially effective treatment method.

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