A menu for microbes: unraveling appetite regulation and weight dynamics through the microbiota-brain connection across the lifespan
Year: 2025
Type: review
Abstract: Appetite, as the internal drive for food intake, is often dysregulated in a broad spectrum of conditions associated with over- and under-nutrition across the lifespan. Appetite regulation is a complex, integrative process comprising psychological and behavioral events, peripheral and metabolic inputs, and central neurotransmitter and metabolic interactions. The microbiota-gut-brain axis has emerged as a critical mediator of multiple physiological processes, including energy metabolism, brain function, and behavior. Therefore, the role of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in appetite and obesity is receiving increased attention. Omics approaches such as genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics in appetite and weight regulation offer new opportunities for featuring obesity phenotypes. Furthermore, gut-microbiota-targeted approaches such as pre-, pro-, post-, and synbiotic, personalized nutrition, and fecal microbiota transplantation are novel avenues for precision treatments. The aim of this narrative review is 1) to provide an overview of the role of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in appetite regulation across the lifespan and 2) to discuss the potential of omics and gut microbiota-targeted approaches to deepen understanding of appetite regulation and obesity.
Institutions: Universidade Nova de Lisboa, University College Cork, APC Microbiome Institute, Universidad de Zaragoza, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spanish Biomedical Research Centre in Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, IMDEA Food
Language: English
Topic: Gut microbiota and health
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4406401552