Potential role of short-chain fatty acids in irritable bowel syndrome in overweight and obese individuals

Due to increasing prevalence of functional diseases of the colon in obese patients, the mechanisms by which the intestinal microbiota affects the development of symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in the setting of metabolic activity of adipose tissue should be investigated. The quantitative and qualitative changes in the pool of synthesized short-chain fatty acids, which have a multidirectional impact on the colonic motility is one of the key mechanisms by which the intestinal microbiota affects the occurrence and features of the course of irritable bowel syndrome. But as regards the issue of whether individual short-chain fatty acids have an impact on the severity of abdominal pain and characteristics of colonic motility dysfunction, it remains a subject of discussions. The study of the mechanisms of impact of short-chain fatty acids on the development and progression of obesity deserves special attention. Increased serum and faecal short-chain fatty acid levels in obese patients can either be a result of changes in the intestinal microflora composition associated with special eating habits and lifestyle, or have an independent effect on the development of obesity in individuals due to intestinal microflora composition disorders that have been already developed. Due to special features of the course of irritable bowel syndrome associated with overweight and obesity, studying the intestinal microbiota composition and the short-chain fatty acids produced by it in this cohort of IBS patients is of particular interest. This publication has been prepared to describe and systematize the possible mechanisms of impact of short-chain fatty acids on the development of abdominal pain and impaired colonic motility in IBS patients with overweight and obesity. The literature search was conducted in the databases Embase, PubMed and Google Scholar using the keywords “irritable bowel syndrome”, “obesity”, “short-chain fatty acids”, “gut microbiota”.