The association between gut microbiome and anthropometric measurements in Bangladesh

Abstract

Our objective was to investigate the relationship between the gut microbiota and anthropometric measurements among 248 participants from the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (HEALS) in Bangladesh. Our cohort represents a unique population that allows for the investigation of the gut microbiota and anthropometric measurements in lean individuals. We measured height, weight, arm, thigh, hip, and waist circumferences, and collected fecal samples. Microbial DNA was extracted from the stool samples and sequenced by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We examined associations between relative abundance of individual bacterial taxa from phylum to genus levels and anthropometric measurements. We found that higher BMI, mid-upper arm circumference, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio were associated with a lower alpha diversity of fecal bacteria. Relative abundance of the genus Oscillospira and the family S24-7 were inversely related to all measurements after correction for multiple testing. Relative abundance of genus Acidaminococcus and family Ruminococcaceae were also associated with several measurements. The positive associations of the genus Acidaminococcus with BMI, as well as waist and hip circumferences, were stronger in women than in men. Our data in this lean Bangladeshi population found a correlation between Oscillospira and leanness, as measured using multiple anthropometric measures.

High Oscillospira abundance indicates constipation and low BMI in the Guangdong Gut Microbiome Project

“…The findings suggested Oscillospira could be part of a stable and healthy microbiota. In addition, our results consolidated previous data about leanness and Bristol stool type based on population-level analysis 31 . Oscillospira was found positively linked with HDL and negatively associated with BMI, DBP, SBP, FBG, TG, and UA, all of which are indices of adiposity or metabolic disturbance in epidemiological research [20][21][22] .…”

“…The negative association between Oscillospira and BMI has been observed in several studies. Osborne et al showed an association of this genus and leanness in a Bangladesh population study 31 . Oscillospira was shown to depend on other bacteria or sugars generated from host mucins 32 .…”

Effects of S24–7 on the weight of progeny rats after exposure to ceftriaxone sodium during pregnancy

“…In a rat model fed on a high-fat diet) [23], S24-7 and Lactobacillus correlated with weight loss. In addition, in animal models of type 2 diabetes [29] and in population studies [19], S24-7 was observed to participate in the body's metabolism and its abundance correlated negatively with weight, which also supported our results. Therefore, we believe that gut microbiota is involved in the weight change of offspring, particularly S24-7.…”

Gut Microbiota Profile and Its Association with Clinical Variables and Dietary Intake in Overweight/Obese and Lean Subjects: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…In this context, few anthropometric variables, such as visceral fat accumulation and waist circumference (WC), are related to the gut microbiota. For instance, an inverse association between the presence of the genus Blautia and visceral fat accumulation has been found in Japanese adults [7], whereas a positive association has been found between the presence of the genus Acidaminococcus and the body mass index (BMI), WC and hip circumferences in Bangladeshi adults [8].…”