Association Between Intestinal Flora and Obesity Among Asian Adults Based on Meta-analysis

Background: Global obesity rate continue to rise, and while obesity rate in Asia remain relatively low, the trend is increasing significantly. Gut microbiota plays a key role in the onset and development of obesity, but the relationship between gut microbiota and obesity varies across different populations. Method: We conducted a literature search in databases such as PubMed, CNKI, and Wanfang, analyzing studies published between 2015 and 2025 that examined the relationship between gut microbiota and obesity in Asian adult populations. Results: we found that there was a weak positive correlation between overall gut microbiota and obesity (Effect = 0.06, 95% CI [0.04, 0.08]). The Firmicutes phylum (Effect = 0.07, 95% CI [0.05, 0.09]) and the Bacteroidetes phylum (Effect = 0.18, 95% CI [0.07, 0.28]) were positively correlated with obesity, while the Actinobacteria phylum was negatively correlated with obesity. Conclusion: In Asian populations, intestinal flora is generally positively correlated with obesity, and in different genus, Firmicutes phylum and Bacteroidetes phylum are positively correlated with obesity. This study also emphasizes the necessity of further exploring the relationship between gut microbiota and obesity in Asian populations.