The human microbiota is associated with cardiometabolic risk across the epidemiologic transition

Abstract

Oral and fecal microbial biomarkers have previously been associated with cardiometabolic (CM) risk, however, no comprehensive attempt has been made to explore this association in minority populations or across different geographic regions. We characterized gut- and oral-associated microbiota and CM risk in 655 participants of African-origin, aged 25–45, from Ghana, South Africa, Jamaica, and the United States (US). CM risk was classified using the CM risk cut-points for elevated waist circumference, elevated blood pressure and elevated fasted blood glucose, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and elevated triglycerides. Gut-associated bacterial alpha diversity negatively correlated with elevated blood pressure and elevated fasted blood glucose. Similarly, gut bacterial beta diversity was also significantly differentiated by waist circumference, blood pressure, triglyceridemia and HDL-cholesterolemia. Notably, differences in inter- and intra-personal gut microbial diversity were geographic-region specific. Participants meeting the cut-points for 3 out of the 5 CM risk factors were significantly more enriched with Lachnospiraceae, and were significantly depleted of Clostridiaceae, Peptostreptococcaceae, and Prevotella . The predicted relative proportions of the genes involved in the pathways for lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and butyrate synthesis were also significantly differentiated by the CM risk phenotype, whereby genes involved in the butyrate synthesis via lysine, glutarate and 4-aminobutyrate/succinate pathways and LPS synthesis pathway were enriched in participants with greater CM risk. Furthermore, inter-individual oral microbiota diversity was also significantly associated with the CM risk factors, and oral-associated Streptococcus , Prevotella , and Veillonella were enriched in participants with 3 out of the 5 CM risk factors. We demonstrate that in a diverse cohort of African-origin adults, CM risk is significantly associated with reduced microbial diversity, and the enrichment of specific bacterial taxa and predicted functional traits in both gut and oral environments. As well as providing new insights into the associations between the gut and oral microbiota and CM risk, this study also highlights the potential for novel therapeutic discoveries which target the oral and gut microbiota in CM risk.

Dysbiosis and Implication of the Gut Microbiota in Diabetic Retinopathy

“…Most families, such as Clostridiaceae , Peptostreptococcaceae , norank_o_Clostridia_UCG-014 , and Butyricicoccaceae were highly expressed in the HC group. Generally, Clostridiaceae and Peptostreptococcaceae are negatively correlated with metabolic diseases and participate in the production of SCFAs, such as acetate, propionate, and butyrate ( Fei et al., 2019 ; Oliphant and Allen-Vercoe, 2019 ). Previous studies reported that SCFAs could improve glucose homeostasis and were associated with reduced risk of T2DM, obesity, and cardiovascular disease ( Chambers et al., 2018 ; Zhao et al., 2018 ).…”

Maternal precarity and HPA axis functioning shape infant gut microbiota and HPA axis development in humans

“…The observed difference in bifidobacteria abundance in our study is consistent with other literature that has found that bifidobacteria is sensitive to environmental perturbations [ 24 ], including preterm birth [ 82 ], antibiotic exposure [ 83 ], and Caesarean section [ 84 ], which have all been associated with a lower abundance of Bifidobacterium in the infant gut. Further, in addition to a lower abundance of Lachnospiraceae , whose benefits are discussed above, postpartum precarity was associated with a higher relative abundance of Streptococcaceae , whose genus Streptococcus has been associated with higher waist circumference [ 85 ], cardiometabolic diseases [ 86 ], and inflammatory diseases [ 87 ]. In general, maternal peripartum precarity was associated with a lower abundance of protective bacteria including bifidobacteria, and a higher abundance of pathogenic bacteria, including Enterobacteriaceae in infant stool.…”

“…Other work in the Galápagos and elsewhere has found that Bacteroidaceae [ 88 ] and Bacteroides [ 84 ] are higher in infants born vaginally and those who are formula-fed. Low maternal CAR in the postpartum was also associated with a higher abundance of Veillonella , which has been associated with more cardiometabolic risk factors in adults [ 85 ].…”

Population bottlenecks constrain host microbiome diversity and genetic variation impeding fitness

“…In this respect, a number of studies have previously reported that hosts who are unhealthy and/or ill harbor different microbiomes compared to their healthier counterparts (Mistry et al . 2017; Fei et al . 2019).…”