Gut Microbes. 2019 Apr 16:1-8. doi:
10.1080/19490976.2019.1592420.
Jones RB, Alderette TL, Kim JS, et al.
Objective
- To
determine how dietary macronutrients are associated with the relative
abundance of gut bacteria in healthy adolescents.
Background
- A western high fat, high carbohydrate diet has
been shown to be associated with decreased gut bacterial diversity and
reductions in beneficial bacteria. - This gut bacteria dysbiosis could develop in
early life and contribute to chronic disease risk such as obesity, type 2
diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Methods
- Fifty-two
obese participants, ages 12–19 years and primarily of Hispanic descent,
were recruited for this study. Each
participant provided fecal samples for 16S rRNA gene sequencing. - Dietary
macronutrients were assessed using 24-hour diet recalls and body
composition was assessed using DEXA. - General
regression models assuming a negative binomial distribution were used to
examine the associations between gut bacteria and dietary fiber, saturated
fat, unsaturated fats, protein, added sugar, total sugar and free fructose
after adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, body fat percentage,
study and caloric intake.
Findings
- Eubacterium and Streptococcus were inversely associated with dietary fructose
intake. - There were no other significant associations
between abundances of gut microbes and other dietary macronutrients,
including fiber, fat, protein, total sugar or added sugar.
Conclusions
- High
dietary fructose was associated with lower abundance of the beneficial
microbes Eubacterium and Streptococcus, which are involved
with carbohydrate metabolism. - Additional
research is needed in this area.
Points
to Consider:
- Given the small size, age and ethnicity of the sample, the
generalizability of these results is limited. - Dietary Intake information was self-reported and collected
via 24-hour diet recalls. Not only does this information not reflect overall
dietary habits, this method of collection is subject to recall and reporting
bias.