What Was First, Obesity or Inflammatory Bowel Disease? What Does the Gut Microbiota Have to Do with It?

A sedentary lifestyle and inadequate nutrition often leads to disturbances in intestinal homeostasis, which may predispose people to excess body weight and metabolic syndrome. Obesity is frequently observed in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), similar to the general population. Obesity may exert a negative effect on the course of IBD as well as reduce the response to treatment. Moreover, it may also be an additional risk factor for vein thromboembolism during the flare. In both obesity and IBD, it is of great importance to implement proper dietary ingredients that exert desirable effect on gut microbiota. The key to reducing body mass index (BMI) and alleviating the course of IBD is preserving healthy intestinal microflora.