Sucrose-preferring gut microbes prevent host obesity by producing exopolysaccharides

Abstract

甘いもの好きの人の肥満を抑える腸内細菌の発見 --肥満や糖尿病などの代謝性疾患予防・治療法の開発応用に期待-- . 京都大学プレスリリース. 2025-02-03Commensal bacteria affect host health by producing various metabolites from dietary carbohydrates via bacterial glycometabolism; however, the underlying mechanism of action remains unclear. Here, we identified Streptococcus salivarius as a unique anti-obesity commensal bacterium. We found that S. salivarius may prevent host obesity caused by excess sucrose intake via the exopolysaccharide (EPS) –short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) –carbohydrate metabolic axis in male mice. Healthy human donor-derived S. salivarius produced high EPS levels from sucrose but not from other sugars. S. salivarius abundance was significantly decreased in human donors with obesity compared with that in healthy donors, and the EPS–SCFA bacterial carbohydrate metabolic process was attenuated. Our findings reveal an important mechanism by which host–commensal interactions in glycometabolism affect energy regulation, suggesting an approach for preventing lifestyle-related diseases via prebiotics and probiotics by targeting bacteria and EPS metabolites