Introduction
Obesity, obesity, obese, Weight loss, CM, weight loss, W-LHIT
OBESITY, OBESITY, OBESE
Obesity has been increasing in prevalence worldwide and is a serious threat to public health. Over the past 30 years, the prevalence of obesity among adults has exceeded 50% in some western developed countries (Unhealthy eating styles and sedentary behavior and physical inactivity have been viewed as the key factors that contribute to obesity. Current guidelines recommend diet, exercise, and behavior modification as standard treatments for obesity. However, a study found that only 20% of adults who either tried to lose weight or to maintain their weight, could both eat fewer calories and complete at least 150 minutes of exercise per week (Weight loss herbal intervention therapy (W-LHIT) is a Chinese medicine (CM) prescription, consisting of 5 Chinese herbal medicines: Increasing evidence suggested gut microbiota played a significant role in the development of obesity. Many clinical or pre-clinical studies have shown that there are significant differences in the composition of gut microbiota between healthy versus obese individuals (In this study, we aimed to further evaluate the safety and weight loss efficacy of the W-LHIT capsules, in combination with a standardized lifestyle intervention. In addition, we used 16S pyrosequencing technology to evaluate the shift in the composition of the gut microbiota before and after W-LHIT capsule treatment to explore its potential role in understanding W-LHIT capsules in weight loss response.