Author(s):
Pereira, Vanessa ; A, Cuevas-Sierra ; de la O, Victor ; Salvado, Rita ; Proule Dias Barreiros Mota, Inês ; Castela, Inês ; Camelo, Alexandra ; Brandão, Inês ; Santo, Christophe Espírito ; Faria, Ana ; Calhau, Conceição ; Paulino Silvestre, Marta ; Moreira-Rosário, André
Date: 2025
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/188421
Origin: Repositório Institucional da UNL
Subject(s): dietary interventions; Faecalibacterium; fat mass loss; gut microbiota; visceral fat loss; weight loss; Food Science; Nutrition and Dietetics; SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
Description
Funding Information: This study was sponsored by Farmodi\u00E9tica S.A, a company operating in the field of nutritional and health products. The study was also promoted by the CINTESIS@RISE, NOVA Medical School, NOVA University of Lisbon, and funded by national funds through FCT\u2014Funda\u00E7\u00E3o para a Ci\u00EAncia e a Tecnologia, I.P., under the project RISE\u2014LA/P/0053/2020. Farmodi\u00E9tica S.A. had no involvement in the design of the study, collection, analysis, or interpretation of data, nor in the writing of the manuscript or the decision to publish the results. Publisher Copyright: © 2025 by the authors.
Background: The gut microbiota is increasingly recognized as a key modulator in obesity management, influencing host energy balance, lipid metabolism, and inflammatory pathways. With obesity prevalence continuing to rise globally, dietary interventions that promote beneficial microbial shifts are essential for enhancing weight loss outcomes and long-term health. Objective: This study investigated the effects of the multicomponent Weight Loss Maintenance 3 Phases Program (WLM3P), which integrates caloric restriction, a high-protein low-carbohydrate diet, time-restricted eating (10h TRE), dietary supplementation (prebiotics and phytochemicals), and digital app-based support on gut microbiota composition compared to a standard low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) in adults with obesity. The analysis focused exclusively on the 6-month weight loss period corresponding to Phases 1 and 2 of the WLM3P intervention. Methods: In this sub-analysis of a randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04192357), 58 adults with obesity (BMI 30.0–39.9 kg/m2) were randomized to the WLM3P (n = 29) or LCD (n = 29) groups. Stool samples were collected at baseline and 6 months for 16S rRNA sequencing. Alpha and beta diversity were assessed, and genus-level differential abundance was determined using EdgeR and LEfSe. Associations between microbial taxa and clinical outcomes were evaluated using regression models. Results: After 6-month, the WLM3P group showed a significant increase in alpha diversity (p = 0.03) and a significant change in beta diversity (p < 0.01), while no significant changes were observed in the LCD group. Differential abundance analysis revealed specific microbial signatures in WLM3P participants, including increased levels of Faecalibacterium. Notably, higher Faecalibacterium abundance was associated with greater reductions in fat mass (kg, %) and visceral adiposity (cm2) in the WLM3P group compared to LCD (p < 0.01). Conclusions: These findings suggest a potential microbiota-mediated mechanism in weight loss, where Faecalibacterium may enhance fat reduction effectiveness in the context of the WLM3P intervention.
