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Ecklu-Mensah G, Choo-Kang C, Maseng MG, Donato S, Bovet P, Viswanathan B, Bedu-Addo K, Plange-Rhule J, Oti Boateng P, Forrester TE, Williams M, Lambert EV, Rae D, Sinyanya N, Luke A, Layden BT, O'Keefe S, Gilbert JA, Dugas LR. Gut microbiota and fecal short chain fatty acids differ with adiposity and country of origin: the METS-microbiome study. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5160. [PMID: 37620311 PMCID: PMC10449869 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40874-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The relationship between microbiota, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and obesity remains enigmatic. We employ amplicon sequencing and targeted metabolomics in a large (n = 1904) African origin cohort from Ghana, South Africa, Jamaica, Seychelles, and the US. Microbiota diversity and fecal SCFAs are greatest in Ghanaians, and lowest in Americans, representing each end of the urbanization spectrum. Obesity is significantly associated with a reduction in SCFA concentration, microbial diversity, and SCFA synthesizing bacteria, with country of origin being the strongest explanatory factor. Diabetes, glucose state, hypertension, obesity, and sex can be accurately predicted from the global microbiota, but when analyzed at the level of country, predictive accuracy is only universally maintained for sex. Diabetes, glucose, and hypertension are only predictive in certain low-income countries. Our findings suggest that adiposity-related microbiota differences differ between low-to-middle-income compared to high-income countries. Further investigation is needed to determine the factors driving this association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gertrude Ecklu-Mensah
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Microbiome Innovation, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Candice Choo-Kang
- Public Health Sciences, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL, USA
| | - Maria Gjerstad Maseng
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Dep. of Gastroenterology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Bio-Me, Oslo, Norway
| | - Sonya Donato
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Microbiome Innovation, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Pascal Bovet
- University Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Ministry of Health, Victoria, Republic of Seychelles
| | | | - Kweku Bedu-Addo
- Department of Physiology, SMS, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Jacob Plange-Rhule
- Department of Physiology, SMS, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Prince Oti Boateng
- Department of Physiology, SMS, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Terrence E Forrester
- Solutions for Developing Countries, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica
| | - Marie Williams
- Solutions for Developing Countries, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica
| | - Estelle V Lambert
- Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Dale Rae
- Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Nandipha Sinyanya
- Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Amy Luke
- Public Health Sciences, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL, USA
| | - Brian T Layden
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Stephen O'Keefe
- Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Jack A Gilbert
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Microbiome Innovation, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - Lara R Dugas
- Public Health Sciences, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL, USA.
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
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Gilbert J, Ecklu-Mensah G, Maseng MG, Donato S, Coo-Kang C, Dugas L, Bovet P, Bedu-Addo K, Plange-Rhule J, Forrester T, Lambert E, Rae D, Luke A, Layden B, O'Keefe S. Gut microbiota and fecal short chain fatty acids differ with adiposity and country of origin: The METS-Microbiome Study. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-2791107. [PMID: 37090540 PMCID: PMC10120767 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2791107/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
The relationship between gut microbiota, short chain fatty acid (SCFA) metabolism, and obesity is still not well understood. Here we investigated these associations in a large (n=1904) African origin cohort from Ghana, South Africa, Jamaica, Seychelles, and the US. Fecal microbiota diversity and SCFA concentration were greatest in Ghanaians, and lowest in the US population, representing the lowest and highest end of the epidemiologic transition spectrum, respectively. Obesity was significantly associated with a reduction in SCFA concentration, microbial diversity and SCFA synthesizing bacteria. Country of origin could be accurately predicted from the fecal microbiota (AUC=0.97), while the predictive accuracy for obesity was inversely correlated to the epidemiological transition, being greatest in Ghana (AUC = 0.57). The findings suggest that the microbiota differences between obesity and non-obesity may be larger in low-to-middle-income countries compared to high-income countries. Further investigation is needed to determine the factors driving this association.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Pascal Bovet
- University Center for Primary Care and Public Health
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Amy Luke
- Loyola University School of Medicine
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Ecklu-Mensah G, Choo-Kang C, Gjerstad Maseng M, Donato S, Bovet P, Bedu-Addo K, Plange-Rhule J, Forrester TE, Lambert EV, Rae D, Luke A, Layden BT, O’Keefe S, Gilbert JA, Dugas LR. Gut microbiota and fecal short chain fatty acids differ with adiposity and country of origin: The METS-Microbiome Study. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.21.533195. [PMID: 36993742 PMCID: PMC10055249 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.21.533195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
The relationship between the gut microbiota, short chain fatty acid (SCFA) metabolism, and obesity remains unclear due to conflicting reports from studies with limited statistical power. Additionally, this association has rarely been explored in large scale diverse populations. Here, we investigated associations between fecal microbial composition, predicted metabolic potential, SCFA concentrations, and obesity in a large ( N = 1,934) adult cohort of African-origin spanning the epidemiologic transition, from Ghana, South Africa, Jamaica, Seychelles, and the United States (US). The greatest gut microbiota diversity and total fecal SCFA concentration was found in the Ghanaian population, while the lowest levels were found in the US population, respectively representing the lowest and the highest end of the epidemiologic transition spectrum. Country-specific bacterial taxa and predicted-functional pathways were observed, including an increased prevalence of Prevotella , Butyrivibrio , Weisella and Romboutsia in Ghana and South Africa, while Bacteroides and Parabacteroides were enriched in Jamaican and the US populations. Importantly, 'VANISH' taxa, including Butyricicoccus and Succinivibrio , were significantly enriched in the Ghanaian cohort, reflecting the participants' traditional lifestyles. Obesity was significantly associated with lower SCFA concentrations, a decrease in microbial richness, and dissimilarities in community composition, and reduction in the proportion of SCFA synthesizing bacteria including Oscillospira , Christensenella , Eubacterium , Alistipes , Clostridium and Odoribacter . Further, the predicted proportions of genes in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) synthesis pathway were enriched in obese individuals, while genes associated with butyrate synthesis via the dominant pyruvate pathway were significantly reduced in obese individuals. Using machine learning, we identified features predictive of metabolic state and country of origin. Country of origin could accurately be predicted by the fecal microbiota (AUC = 0.97), whereas obesity could not be predicted as accurately (AUC = 0.65). Participant sex (AUC = 0.75), diabetes status (AUC = 0.63), hypertensive status (AUC = 0.65), and glucose status (AUC = 0.66) could all be predicted with different success. Interestingly, within country, the predictive accuracy of the microbiota for obesity was inversely correlated to the epidemiological transition, being greatest in Ghana (AUC = 0.57). Collectively, our findings reveal profound variation in the gut microbiota, inferred functional pathways, and SCFA synthesis as a function of country of origin. While obesity could be predicted accurately from the microbiota, the variation in accuracy in parallel with the epidemiological transition suggests that differences in the microbiota between obesity and non-obesity may be larger in low-to-middle countries compared to high-income countries. Further examination of independent study populations using multi-omic approaches will be necessary to determine the factors that drive this association.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Candice Choo-Kang
- Public Health Sciences, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL, USA
| | - Maria Gjerstad Maseng
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Dep. of Gastroenterology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Bio-Me, Oslo, Norway
| | - Sonya Donato
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Pascal Bovet
- University Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), Lausanne, Switzerland& Ministry of Health, Republic of Seychelles Department of Physiology, SMS
| | - Kweku Bedu-Addo
- Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | | | - Terrence E. Forrester
- Solutions for Developing Countries, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica
| | - Estelle V. Lambert
- Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Dale Rae
- Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Amy Luke
- Public Health Sciences, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL, USA
| | - Brian T. Layden
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | | | - Jack A. Gilbert
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Lara R. Dugas
- Public Health Sciences, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL, USA
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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Validating Accuracy of an Internet-Based Application against USDA Computerized Nutrition Data System for Research on Essential Nutrients among Social-Ethnic Diets for the E-Health Era. Nutrients 2022; 14:nu14153168. [PMID: 35956344 PMCID: PMC9370220 DOI: 10.3390/nu14153168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 07/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Internet-based applications (apps) are rapidly developing in the e-Health era to assess the dietary intake of essential macro-and micro-nutrients for precision nutrition. We, therefore, validated the accuracy of an internet-based app against the Nutrition Data System for Research (NDSR), assessing these essential nutrients among various social-ethnic diet types. The agreement between the two measures using intraclass correlation coefficients was good (0.85) for total calories, but moderate for caloric ranges outside of <1000 (0.75) and >2000 (0.57); and good (>0.75) for most macro- (average: 0.85) and micro-nutrients (average: 0.83) except cobalamin (0.73) and calcium (0.51). The app underestimated nutrients that are associated with protein and fat (protein: −5.82%, fat: −12.78%, vitamin B12: −13.59%, methionine: −8.76%, zinc: −12.49%), while overestimated nutrients that are associated with carbohydrate (fiber: 6.7%, B9: 9.06%). Using artificial intelligence analytics, we confirmed the factors that could contribute to the differences between the two measures for various essential nutrients, and they included caloric ranges; the differences between the two measures for carbohydrates, protein, and fat; and diet types. For total calories, as an example, the source factors that contributed to the differences between the two measures included caloric range (<1000 versus others), fat, and protein; for cobalamin: protein, American, and Japanese diets; and for folate: caloric range (<1000 versus others), carbohydrate, and Italian diet. In the e-Health era, the internet-based app has the capacity to enhance precision nutrition. By identifying and integrating the effects of potential contributing factors in the algorithm of output readings, the accuracy of new app measures could be improved.
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Alathari BE, Nyakotey DA, Bawah AM, Lovegrove JA, Annan RA, Ellahi B, Vimaleswaran KS. Interactions between Vitamin D Genetic Risk and Dietary Factors on Metabolic Disease-Related Outcomes in Ghanaian Adults. Nutrients 2022; 14:2763. [PMID: 35807945 PMCID: PMC9269445 DOI: 10.3390/nu14132763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The Ghanaian population is experiencing an upsurge in obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) due to rapid urbanization. Besides dietary factors, vitamin D-related genetic determinants have also been shown to contribute to the development of obesity and T2D. Hence, we aimed to examine the interactions between dietary factors and vitamin D-related genetic variants on obesity and T2D related outcomes in a Ghanaian population. Three hundred and two healthy Ghanaian adults (25-60 years old) from Oforikrom, Municipality in Kumasi, Ghana were randomly recruited and had genetic tests, dietary consumption analysis, and anthropometric and biochemical measurements of glucose, HbA1c, insulin, cholesterol, and triglycerides taken. A significant interaction was identified between vitamin D-GRS and fiber intake (g/day) on BMI (pinteraction = 0.020) where those who were consuming low fiber (≤16.19 g/d) and carrying more than two risk alleles for vitamin D deficiency (p = 0.01) had a significantly higher BMI. In addition, an interaction between vitamin D-GRS and fat intake (g/day) on HbA1c (total fat, pinteraction = 0.029) was found, where participants who had a lower total fat intake (≤36.5 g/d), despite carrying more than two risk alleles, had significantly lower HbA1c (p = 0.049). In summary, our study has identified novel gene-diet interactions of vitamin D-GRS with dietary fiber and fat intakes on metabolic traits in Ghanaian adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Buthaina E. Alathari
- Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition, Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Harry Nursten Building, Pepper Lane, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6DZ, UK; (B.E.A.); (J.A.L.)
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Health Sciences, The Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, P.O. Box 14281, AlFaiha 72853, Kuwait
| | - David A. Nyakotey
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Accra Road, Kumasi GH233, Ghana; (D.A.N.); (A.-M.B.); (R.A.A.)
- Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, 85 Park Road, Grafton, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
| | - Abdul-Malik Bawah
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Accra Road, Kumasi GH233, Ghana; (D.A.N.); (A.-M.B.); (R.A.A.)
| | - Julie A. Lovegrove
- Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition, Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Harry Nursten Building, Pepper Lane, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6DZ, UK; (B.E.A.); (J.A.L.)
- Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research, Harry Nursten Building, Pepper Lane, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6DZ, UK
| | - Reginald A. Annan
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Accra Road, Kumasi GH233, Ghana; (D.A.N.); (A.-M.B.); (R.A.A.)
| | - Basma Ellahi
- Faculty of Health and Social Care, University of Chester, Riverside Campus, Chester CH1 4BJ, UK;
| | - Karani S. Vimaleswaran
- Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition, Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Harry Nursten Building, Pepper Lane, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6DZ, UK; (B.E.A.); (J.A.L.)
- Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research, Harry Nursten Building, Pepper Lane, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6DZ, UK
- Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AH, UK
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