Effect of a Motivational Intervention on the Gut Microbiota and the Components of the Metabolic Syndrome in a Population of Obese Children

Animal models and studies on small samples of obese adults have shown that gut microbial diversity and certain types of bacteria could predict the efficacy of the dietetic treatment to improve body mass index (BMI) and the components of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Gut microbiota could distinguish the obese with metabolic syndrome patient than that metabolically healthy. Dietetic therapy could induce changes in the microbiota that could lead to improvement of BMI and the components of the MetS. The aim of MICROBEkids is to test whether the motivational intervention a motivational intervention (OBEMAT2.0) (PI15/00970) is more effective than the conventional intervention to increase the gut microbial diversity and, as a consequence, to improve BMI and MetS components. The role of gut microbiota (through modulation of the short chain fatty acids) will be analyzed as cardiovascular risk factor and as predictor of treatment success. These objectives will be achieved through a clustered clinical trial design with an intervention group that will receive a motivational therapy compared to a control group that will receive a conventional intervention, both during 12 months. The study sample are 319 children (n= 167 in the intervention group) that were enrolled in the clinical trial OBEMAT2.0 (PI15/00970), have had a comprehensive clinical assessment before the intervention (ages 8 to 14) and after 12 months (+3) of therapy (ages 9 to 15) and furthermore have participated in a biological samples collection for the investigation on childhood obesity (COLOBEPED, reference C.0004585).