Nguyen Tran T, Luong TV, Nguyen NVD, Dang HNN. Complex relationship between childhood obesity and the gut microbiota. World J Clin Pediatr 2025; 14(2): 100975 [DOI: 10.5409/wjcp.v14.i2.100975]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Thang Viet Luong, MD, Doctor, Researcher, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University, 6 Ngo Quyen, Hue 530000, Viet Nam. luongvietthang@hueuni.edu.vn
Research Domain of This Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Article-Type of This Article
Letter to the Editor
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Clin Pediatr. Jun 9, 2025; 14(2): 100975 Published online Jun 9, 2025. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.v14.i2.100975
Complex relationship between childhood obesity and the gut microbiota
Trung Nguyen Tran, Thang Viet Luong, Nam Van Duc Nguyen, Hai Nguyen Ngoc Dang
Trung Nguyen Tran, Department of Biotechnology, NTT Hi-Tech Institute, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh 700000, Viet Nam
Thang Viet Luong, Nam Van Duc Nguyen, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University, Hue 530000, Viet Nam
Hai Nguyen Ngoc Dang, Faculty of Medicine, Duy Tan University, Da Nang 550000, Viet Nam
Co-corresponding authors: Thang Viet Luong and Hai Nguyen Ngoc Dang.
Author contributions: Nguyen Tran T and Luong TV were responsible for conceptualizing the study and writing the original draft of the manuscript; Luong TV and Dang HNN are designated as co-corresponding authors due to their specific contributions of oversight of the data acquisition and management of the statistical analyses, ensuring methodological rigor, and coordination of the cross-departmental collaboration, maintenance of communication with external partners, and supervision of the manuscript revisions; all authors contributed to writing, reviewing, editing, and drafting of the manuscript and have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Thang Viet Luong, MD, Doctor, Researcher, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University, 6 Ngo Quyen, Hue 530000, Viet Nam. luongvietthang@hueuni.edu.vn
Received: September 5, 2024 Revised: January 8, 2025 Accepted: January 14, 2025 Published online: June 9, 2025 Processing time: 193 Days and 22.8 Hours
Abstract
Recently, the gut microbiota has been identified as a significant risk factor associated with metabolic disorders related to obesity. Advances in high-throughput sequencing technology have clarified the relationship between childhood obesity and changes in the gut microbiota. This commentary focuses on analyzing the study by Li et al, which utilized 16S rRNA molecular markers to compare differences in gut microbiota between obese and normal-weight children. Additionally, the review by Pan et al is referenced to supplement perspectives and evaluate the findings of this study. We also analyze the strengths and limitations of the original study and suggest potential research directions to elucidate the complex relationship between gut microbiota and childhood obesity, thereby providing a scientific basis for developing effective prevention and treatment strategies.
Core Tip: Obesity is a global pandemic with severe implications for children's health, and is associated with metabolic syndrome. This letter evaluates the importance of understanding changes in the gut microbiota of obese children and the factors influencing research outcomes. We discuss Pan et al's perspective on Li et al's research, highlighting relevant factors that need further exploration and suggesting future research directions to clarify the role of the gut microbiota in childhood obesity.
