Grant: Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

This study is looking at the safety and effectiveness of stool transplant, also known as Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) and fiber supplementation in obesity and metabolic syndrome. Obesity is one of the greatest health epidemics of the 21st century. In 2016 alone, over 650 million adults were diagnosed with obesity. Recent estimates place the total global cost of obesity at $2.0 trillion, almost greater than the combined costs of smoking, war, and terrorism. Current treatments have shown limited benefit, are expensive, and have major side effects with long-term use. Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a common progressive medical condition that is linked to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Much like obesity, metabolic syndrome is thought to be associated with abnormal changes in gut flora which lead to chronic intestinal inflammation. If this is true, restoring the abnormal gut flora may reverse the inflammation and provide a new therapy for obesity and MS. FMT is a one-time treatment that has been shown to replace abnormal gut flora and improve metabolic disease by increasing production of anti-inflammatory short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). However, the benefits of FMT are not permanent. A recent study has shown that abnormal gut flora can re-grow as early as six weeks after stool transplantation and reverse the changes of FMT. Fiber supplementation is one strategy that may help to extend the benefits of FMT by helping maintain high SCFA levels. At this point, we don't know how FMT and fiber work together to affect SCFA levels in patients with metabolic syndrome. Our study will look at this interaction and answer if fiber therapy is effective in prolonging the benefits of FMT in participants with metabolic syndrome. If we can show that a single FMT oral product combined with fiber as a maintenance therapy is beneficial, this will be a step forward in identifying a safe and effective alternative in combatting the obesity epidemic.