Associations of Blautia Genus With Early-Life Events and Later Phenotype in the NutriHS

Abstract

IntroductionEarly-life events are associated with the risk of obesity and comorbidities later in life. The gut microbiota—whose composition is influenced by genetics and environmental factors—could be involved. Since the microbiota affects metabolism and fat storage, early-life insults could contribute to the occurrence of obesity driven, in part, by microbiota composition. We examined associations of gut bacteria with early-life events, nutritional status, and body composition in the Nutritionist’s Health Study (NutriHS).MethodsA cross-sectional study of 114 female participants examining early-life data, body composition, and biological samples was conducted. Fecal microbiota structure was determined targeting the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) and permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) were used to test the impact of variables on microbial diversity. Profiles were identified using the Jensen-Shannon divergence matrix and Calinski–Harabasz index. Differential abundance between the categories of exclusive breastfeeding duration and nutritional status was tested using DESeq2.ResultsIn the sample [median age 28 years and body mass index (BMI) 24.5 kg/m2], 2 microbiota profiles driven by the Blautia or Prevotella genus were identified. An estimated 9.1% of the variation was explained by the profiles (p < 0.001), 2.1% by nutritional status (p = 0.004), and 1.8% by exclusive breastfeeding (p = 0.012). The proportion of participants with BMI <25 kg/m2 and who were breastfed for at least 6 months was higher in the Blautia profile (p < 0.05).ConclusionFindings in a Blautia-driven profile of healthy women reinforce that early-life events play a role in defining gut microbiota composition, confirming the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for infant gut colonization in establishing a protective profile against adiposity-related outcomes in adulthood.

Compositional and functional variability of the gut microbiome in children with infantile colic

“…It also correlated with the metabolism of oleic acid, which is known to contain 34–40% of all monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) in breast milk 23 , 24 , the degradation of which also results in the accumulation of intestinal gas 25 , 26 . Blautia genus, although significantly increased in the colic group, did not show significant correlations with significantly different metabolic pathways, but has been associated with BMI and obesity in other reports 27 .…”

Gut microbiota are differentially correlated with blood pressure status in African American collegiate athletes: A pilot study

“…Microbes of the genus Blautia have been previously associated with elevated BP in cross‐sectional animal and human studies (Yan et al., 2022). Blautia microbes metabolize carbohydrates with main end‐products being acetic acid, succinic acid, lactic acid, and other SCFAs (Freitas et al., 2022; Liu et al., 2021). In Figure 3b, our analyses show that 10 ASVs within the Blautia genus were shared between the microbiome of athletes with normal and high blood pressure.…”

The gut commensal Blautia maintains colonic mucus function under low-fiber consumption through secretion of short-chain fatty acids

“…We are thus confident that our approach, despite its limitations, is appropriate to propose that increased fiber intake in humans has the potential to shape the gut bacteria into a configuration that improves mucus function. Nevertheless, such an effect will strongly depend on the individual's baseline microbiota, which, with regard to Blautia, may even depend on early-life breastfeeding 73 . Replicating our findings by using individual stool samples for microbiota transplantations would thus be needed to identify the best diet-microbiota combination in humans that is optimal to boost mucus function.…”