06.12.2018 | Original Contribution | Ausgabe 8/2019
Obesity and mental health improvement following nutritional education focusing on gut microbiota composition in Japanese women: a randomised controlled trial
- Zeitschrift:
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European Journal of Nutrition
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Ausgabe 8/2019
- Autoren:
- Mayu Uemura, Fumikazu Hayashi, Ken Ishioka, Kunio Ihara, Kazushi Yasuda, Kanako Okazaki, Junichi Omata, Tatsuo Suzutani, Yoshihisa Hirakawa, Chifa Chiang, Atsuko Aoyama, Tetsuya Ohira
Abstract
Purpose
Gut microbiota composition was supposedly related to obesity and psychological factors. We examined the effects of a nutritional education intervention focusing on gut microbiota composition on obesity and psychological factors among obese women.
Methods
Forty-four obese Japanese women aged 40 or older were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (n = 22) or control group (n = 22). The intervention consisted of a 20-min dietary lecture and a 10-min counselling session by registered dieticians, every 2 weeks for eight consecutive weeks. Body weight, height, waist circumference, food frequency, and gut microbiota composition were measured, and self-rated health and psychological factors were scored before and after the intervention.
Results
All participants completed the 8 week program. After the intervention, dietary fibre intake (p < 0.01), frequency of vegetable consumption (p = 0.020), and frequency of milk and milk product consumption (p < 0.01) increased significantly in the intervention group compared with the control group. Body weight and body mass index (BMI; p < 0.001), waist circumference (p < 0.01), and the depression scale score (p < 0.01) decreased significantly, while significant improvements were found in self-rated health (p = 0.045) and microbiome diversity (p < 0.01).
Conclusion
Nutritional education focusing on gut microbiota composition may improve obesity and psychological factors in obese women.