Study of the Effect of Intestinal Microbes on Obesity: A Bibliometric Analysis

Background Obesity is a serious public health problem. According to statistics, there are millions obese people worldwide. The intestinal microbiota is the microbiota that lives in the gastrointestinal tract of the human body and can interact with the external environment through diet. Probing and summarizing the relationship between intestinal microbes and obesity has important guiding significance for the accurate control of the research direction and expanding the choice of obesity treatment methods. We aimed to use bibliometrics to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze the published literature and to reveal the research hotspots and development trends in the effects of intestinal microbes on obesity research. Methods We obtained documents from the core collection of Web of Science (WoSCC) from 2013–2022 on February 2nd, 2023. Microsoft Excel, Biblioshiny R language software packages and CiteSpace were employed to collect publication data, analyze publication trends, and visualize relevant results. Results We identified 8888 original research articles on the effects of intestinal microbes on obesity published between 2013 and 2022. China made the highest number of publications on the topic, with 3036 publications (34.16%), and the United States with 87065 citations made the greatest contribution. University of Copenhagen was the most prolific institution (209 publications). Patrice D. Cani published the most related articles (97 publications), whereas Peter J. Turnbaugh was cited the most frequently (3307 citations). Nutrients was the journal with the most studies (399 publications, 4.49%), and Nature was the most commonly co-cited journal (6446 citations). The burst keywords “obese patient” and “serum” recently appeared as research frontiers. Conclusion Although China has the largest number of publications, the United States, depending on its largest citations, has become the leader in the effects of intestinal microbes on obesity research. Current research hotspots focus on related mechanisms of the effects of intestinal microbes on obesity and therapeutic methods for obesity with intestinal microbes. Through diet, probiotic preparations and regulation of the intestinal flora, fecal microbe transplantation may have a significant impact on reducing the obesity epidemic. Considering the great potential and application prospects, intestinal microbe applications in obesity therapy will remain a research hotspot in the future.