Veronica Witte | Effects of microbiome-changing interventions on food decision-making and the gut-brain axis in obesity (MIFOOD)

Obesity is one of today’s most neglected public health problems (WHO), linked with the consumption of food high in fats and sugars. While the neuronal underpinnings of subjective food value have not been fully understood, preliminary data supports the view that caloric restriction and dietary fibre ameliorates brain activity towards high-caloric food cues through microbiota-related metabolic changes. However, causal evidence and underlying mechanisms of how weight loss- and diet-related signalling changes in the gut affect the brain with regard to food wanting in obesity remain to be shown. We here aim to better understand and to target gut-brain signalling with behavioural, dietary and surgical weight loss interventions in individuals living with obesity. To this end, we aim to test the effects of (1) cognitive behavioural intervention, (2) supplementary dietary fibre and (3) bariatric surgery over 6months compared to control conditions on high-caloric food preference and weight trajectories in obese patients. In addition, detailed anthropometric, neuropsychological, lifstyle, blood and fecal markers will be collected. Through this, we aim to gain mechanistic insights in the regulatory cross-talk between the gut microbiome and brain function. Our findings might help to better understand determinants and neurobiological mechanisms of (un)healthy dieting and eating behaviour.