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Gut microbiota

Ganoderma lucidum, a new prebiotic agent to treat obesity?

Modulation of the gut microbiota is one of the promising tools to tackle obesity. Chang and colleagues have recently shown that an extract of the mushroom Ganoderma lucidum, a traditional remedy in Asia, can reduce obesity in mice by modulating the gut microbiota, thereby exerting a prebiotic effect.

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Figure 1: Metabolic improvements conferred by WEGL administration to obese mice.

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Acknowledgements

N.M.D. is a recipient of IWT subsidies and grants from the FRS-FNRS, the Walloon Region and the European Union's Seventh Framework Program community. L.B.B. is a postdoctoral fellow from the FRS-FNRS.

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Correspondence to Nathalie M. Delzenne.

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Delzenne, N., Bindels, L. Ganoderma lucidum, a new prebiotic agent to treat obesity?. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 12, 553–554 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2015.137

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