Divergent roles of functional foods on anthropometric indices and gut microbiota in overweight and obese individuals: In silico approaches and multi-omics insights

Abstract

Background

In recent years, there has been an increase in the global food market that uses functional foods and their bioactive compounds as health products or healthy foods to treat chronic diseases. Although many health claims attributed to functional foods lacked sufficient scientific evidence, some epidemiological data have supported the intake of functional foods as a panacea to mitigate the increasing risk of metabolic diseases. To date, there is no comprehensive review of the mechanistic roles of functional foods on obesity anthropometric indices, gut microbiota, and the underlying biochemical patterns or molecular factors involved in this process. Hence, the aim of the review was to evaluate the role of functional foods on anthropometric indicators of obesity, their impact on gut microbiota composition, and the underlying molecular patterns involved using multi-omics-based analysis. Also, we discussed how tailored functional foods can advance precision obesity management.

Scope and approach

Articles published between April 1, 2019, and April 1, 2024, were extracted from PubMed and Web of Science using strict criteria, and the search was focused mainly on randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials. The search was performed using a blend of different logical operators and keywords. Multi-omics analysis was conducted via the OmicsNet platform to identify obesity-associated pathways and crosstalk between molecular factors and the gut microbiota.

Key findings and conclusions

The review underscored 32 eligible studies from 21 countries investigating functional foods' roles and their bioactive compounds on body mass index (BMI), body weight, and gut microbiota. Many studies did not show significant improvement in BMI and body weight, but some studies reported significant reductions in other anthropometric indices due to the intervention. In addition, there was a significant effect on metabolic parameters and gut microbiota composition. Multi-omics analysis revealed enriched molecular pathways using the FDR-adjusted P-value (p < 0.05) associated with obesity, including aldosterone synthesis and secretion, ferroptosis, glutamatergic synapse, and cellular senescence, as well as metabolite pathways such as phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis and arginine biosynthesis. Omics networks revealed a unique group of metabolites and gut bacteria species and another group of transcription factors, miRNAs, and mRNA interconnected via cAMP and ADCYL3. This connection shows the wide association and involvement of the gut microbiota in several molecular processes.

Although the direct effect of functional foods on obesity remains unclear, they could be beneficial in addressing metabolic issues in obesity or related diseases, with the gut microbiota potentially varying according to the disease phenotype and molecular factors. These microbial signatures and other omics technologies may advance therapeutic strategies in managing obesity. The development of tailored functional foods for metabolic disorders may face some hurdles; therefore, future scientific research is needed to advance personalized nutrition strategies for precision obesity management by 1) monitoring the delivery of bioactive molecules to targeted sites in the body and 2) identifying an individual's response to tailored functional food interventions. These strategies would enhance accelerated and effective therapeutic development to mitigate the risks of metabolic diseases and ensure precise results and findings.