Biography
Biography: Gerard E Mullin
Abstract
The pathophysiology of obesity is still unknown but there is mounting evidence that the gut microbiome, intestinal permeability and systemic inflammation may play an important role in disease pathogenesis and possibly treatment. Alterations in diet have been shown to shift the gut microbiome's effects on metabolism and regulation of body weight. This session will provide a focused overview of the scientific literature regarding the potential role of gut microbiome as a therapeutic target of weight management. The lecture will first review the pathophysiology of obesity from a functional medicine perspective and discuss how a functional medicine evidence-based approach can achieve optimal weight management by three steps: Remove; restore and renew. Learning objectives are to: Discuss the influence of the gut microbiome on energy metabolism; understand how disruption of the gut microbiome can lead to obesity and; know how prebiotic and probiotic foods and supplements may influence weight by favorably altering the gut microbiome.