Metabolic disorders

In animals, the physical trait “obese” or “thin” can be transferred through fecal microbiota transplant with a clearly established causal link. In humans, the situation is a little more complex but the presence of dysbiosis associated to metabolic disorders in obese or hypertensive subjects led scientists to conclude that FMT could be a promising avenue. Works are ongoing to assess the impact of the change in gut microbiota experienced by patients with metabolic syndrome^17,14.

Mixed benefits

Several clinical studies were conducted on obese patients with a metabolic syndrome. The first one was carried out on a small group of individuals and showed that stool transplant from thin donors improved the metabolic profile of recipients. The second included a larger number of patients and produced more mixed results. Only a few participants had an improved metabolic profile after the FMT, namely those who initially had a gut microbiota that was not very diversified. The response to transplant thus seems to be dependent on the patient’s initial gut microbiota. However, the benefits did not withstand the test of time...nor did the transformation of the gut microbiota, which quickly returned to its initial composition.

Complex relationships

Overall, these results highlight the complexity of the link between the gut microbiota and metabolic functions. According to some scientists¹³, metabolic and microbial responses to FMT could be based on interactions between the donor’s microbiota and the recipient’s. Several trials are ongoing to assess this technique’s ability to reduce metabolic disorders as well as several obesity-related parameters. These eagerly awaited results should open the way to new strategic approaches in the treatment of metabolic syndrome.