Hepatic microbiome in healthy lean and obese humans.

Background & Aims: Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota in response to an energy-rich Western diet and the potential leak of bacteria and/or bacterial products from the intestine to the liver is perceived as a potential risk factor for the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We investigated the microbiome in liver biopsies from healthy lean and obese individuals and compared it with their blood microbiome.

Methods: We examined liver biopsies from 15 healthy lean and 14 obese individuals (BMI of 18.