Habitual Diet Pattern Associations with Gut Microbiome Diversity and Composition: Results from a Chinese Adult Cohort

Abstract

The influence of long-term diet on gut microbiota is an active area of investigation. The present work aimed to explore the associations between habitual diet patterns and gut microbiota in a large sample of asymptomatic Chinese adults. The gut microbiome was profiled through the sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene in stool samples from 702 Chinese adults aged 50–75 years who underwent colonoscopies and were diagnosed to be free of colorectal neoplasm. Long-term dietary consumption was assessed through a food-frequency questionnaire. The microbial associations with specific food groups and the posteriori dietary pattern were tested using the Kruskal–Wallis H test, permutational ANOVAs, and multivariate analyses with linear models. The Shannon indexes generally shared similar levels across different food intake frequency groups. Whole grain and vegetable intakes totally explained 1.46% of the microbiota compositional variance. Using the data-driven posteriori approach, a general dietary pattern characterized by lower intakes of refined grains was highlighted to be associated with higher abundances of the genus Anaerostipes and a species of it. We also observed 17 associations between various food group intakes and specific genera and species. For instance, the relative abundances of the genus Weissella and an uncultured species of it were negatively associated with red meat intake. The results of this study support the idea that the usual dietary consumption measured by certain food items or summary indexes is associated with gut microbial features. These results deepen the understanding of complex relationships of diet and gut microbiota, as well as their implications for gut microbiome studies of human chronic diseases.

Associations Between Health Behaviours, Gastrointestinal Symptoms, and Gut Microbiota in a Cross-Sectional Sample of Cancer Survivors: Secondary Analysis from the Chemo-Gut Study

“…Higher consumption (3 to 5 servings per day) of whole grains was positively correlated with a higher abundance of Lachnospiraceae, while fewer servings (2 or less) of whole grains per day was associated with greater Anaerostipes abundance. This is consistent with previous studies reporting higher abundances of Anaerostipes among Chinese adults who consumed a lower intake of refined grains [52].…”

The Role of Nutrition in Chronic Disease

“…Finally, the role of nutritional support for chronic disease is not complete without the inclusion of some studies investigating the complex relationships of diet/food and of disease with the gut microbiota. Zhang and colleagues [ 15 ] studied the associations between habitual diet patterns and gut microbiota in Chinese adults. The authors found that the intake of specific foods or food groups, such as whole grains, vegetables, and red meats, among others, was associated with changes in the abundance of specific genera and species of gut microbiota.…”

Gut Microbiome of Patients With Breast Cancer in Vietnam

“… 42 Conversely, frequent habitual intake of whole grains and vegetables did not increase α-diversity in other Chinese population. 43 In addition, reduced α-diversity was observed among patients with diabetes who consumed a higher level of dietary fiber. 44 In terms of gut microbial taxa analysis, we found a significantly higher abundance of species belonging to Bifidobacterium , Prevotella , and Bacteroides , such as the species Bifidobacterium gallinarum , Bifidobacterium pullorum , Bifidobacterium scardovii , Bacteroides clarus , Bacteroides graminisolvens , Bacteroides stercorirosoris , Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron , Prevotella melaninogenica , and Prevotella oris among patients with breast cancer who had high fiber intake (T3), compared with those with low fiber intake (T1).…”