Abstract
The gut microbiome is an important determinant in various diseases. Here we perform a cross-sectional study of Japanese adults and identify the
Blautia
genus, especially
B. wexlerae
, as a ...commensal bacterium that is inversely correlated with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Oral administration of
B. wexlerae
to mice induce metabolic changes and anti-inflammatory effects that decrease both high-fat diet–induced obesity and diabetes. The beneficial effects of
B. wexlerae
are correlated with unique amino-acid metabolism to produce S-adenosylmethionine, acetylcholine, and
l
-ornithine and carbohydrate metabolism resulting in the accumulation of amylopectin and production of succinate, lactate, and acetate, with simultaneous modification of the gut bacterial composition. These findings reveal unique regulatory pathways of host and microbial metabolism that may provide novel strategies in preventive and therapeutic approaches for metabolic disorders.
The relative contribution of diet to colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence is higher than that for other cancers. Animal models have revealed that Escherichia coli containing polyketide synthase (pks
E. ...coli) in the gut participates in CRC development. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the relationship between dietary intake and the prevalence of pks
E. coli isolated from the microbiota in faecal samples of 223 healthy Japanese individuals. Dietary intake was assessed using a previously validated brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire. The prevalence of pks
E. coli was evaluated using faecal samples collected from participants and specific primers that detected pks
E. coli. The prevalence of pks
E. coli was 26.9%. After adjusting for baseline confounders, the prevalence of pks
E. coli was negatively associated with the intake of green tea (odds ratio OR, 0.59 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.30-0.88 per 100 g/1,000 kcal increment) and manganese (OR, 0.43 95% CI 0.22-0.85 per 1 mg/1,000 kcal increment) and was positively associated with male sex (OR, 2.27 95% CI 1.05-4.91). While futher studies are needed to validate these findings, these results provide insight into potential dietary interventions for the prevention of CRC.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) reduces the quality of life by triggering stroke and heart failure. The association between AF onset and gut metabolites suggests a causal relationship between AF and gut ...microbiota dysbiosis; however, the relationship remains poorly understood. We prospectively enrolled 34 hospitalized patients with AF and 66 age-, sex-, and comorbidity-matched control subjects without a history of AF. Gut microbial compositions were evaluated by amplicon sequencing targeting the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. We assessed differences in dietary habits by using a brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire (BDHQ). Gut microbial richness was lower in AF patients, although the diversity of gut microbiota did not differ between the two groups. At the genus level,
Enterobacter
was depleted, while
Parabacteroides
,
Lachnoclostridium
,
Streptococcus,
and
Alistipes
were enriched in AF patients compared to control subjects. The BDHQ revealed that the intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and eicosadienoic acid was higher in AF patients. Our results suggested that AF patients had altered gut microbial composition in connection with dietary habits.
The phase angle (PhA), measured via bioelectrical impedance analysis, is considered an indicator of cellular health, where higher values reflect higher cellularity, cell membrane integrity, and ...better cell function. This study aimed to examine the relationship between PhA and exercise habits or objectively measured physical activity. We included 115 people aged 32-69 years. The body composition and PhA were measured using a bioelectrical impedance device. Physical activity and sedentary behavior (SB) were assessed using a triaxial accelerometer. Exercise habits were also obtained through structured interviews, and participants were categorized into the no exercise habit (No-Ex), resistance training exercise habit (RT), or aerobic training exercise habit (AT) groups. Objectively measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity or step count significantly correlated with PhA, independent of age, sex, height, percent body fat, body cell mass, and leg muscle power. In contrast, SB was not significant determinants of PhA. People who exercised regularly (RT or AT) had significantly higher PhA values than did those in the No-Ex group. Furthermore, the PhA was not significantly different between the RT and AT groups. Regularly engaging in exercise with moderate-to-vigorous intensity may improve or maintain muscle cellular health and muscle quality.
Faecal volume, form, colour, and odour are associated with various diseases, dietary habits, and the gut microbiome. Multifaceted assessment of faecal condition will be needed for future research and ...practice. Faecal observation has advantages, as it is non-invasive, frequent, and easy. We have developed and validated an illustrative card tool for comprehensively faecal assessment. In 38 healthy adults, observations of volume, form, colour, and odour of faeces using the tool were compared to the objective characteristics of the actual faeces determined using a weighing scale, moisture meter, hardness meter, colourimeter, and odour measuring device. A significant positive correlation (ρ = 0.778) was observed between the number of faecal model (2 cm × 10 cm) units and the actual weight. The Bristol Stool Form Scale showed a significant positive correlation with the moisture content (ρ = 0.717) and negative correlations with faecal hardness (ρ = -0.843) and adhesiveness (ρ = -0.761). The L*a*b* colour space values of the stool differed significantly among observational judgments using the colour card tool. No significant correlation was observed between the observation of odour and the measured odour index. In conclusion, the faecal volume, form, and colour can be estimated by observation using the multifaceted assessment card tool.
Factors associated with dynamic changes in the objectively measured physical activity have not been well understood. We aimed to 1) evaluate the longitudinal change in the physical activity ...trajectory according to sex which is associated with age and to 2) determine the factors associated with the dynamic change in physical activity-related variables across a wide age range among Japanese adults. This longitudinal prospective study included 689 Japanese adults (3914 measurements) aged 26-85 years, whose physical activity data in at least two surveys were available. Physical activity-related variables, such as intensity (inactive, light LPA; 1.5 to 2.9 metabolic equivalents (METs), moderate-to-vigorous MVPA; ≥3.0 METs), total energy expenditure (TEE), physical activity level (PAL), and step count, were evaluated using a validated triaxial accelerometer. Statistical analysis involved the latent growth curve models and random-effect panel data multivariate regression analysis. During a mean follow-up period of 6.8 years, physical activity was assessed an average of 5.1 times in men and 5.9 times in women. The profiles for the inactive time, LPA (only men), MVPA, step count, PAL, and TEE showed clear curvature, indicating an accelerated rate of change around the age of 70. In contrast, other variables exhibited minimal or no curvature over the age span. The MVPA trajectory was positively associated with alcohol consumption, hand grips, leg power, and trunk flexibility and negatively associated with age, local area, body mass index (BMI), comorbidity score, and heart rate over time. Our results indicated that the physical activity trajectory revealed clear curvature, accelerated rate of change around the age of 70, and determined physical health and fitness and BMI as dynamic factors associated with physical activity changes. These findings may be useful to help support populations to achieve and maintain the recommended level of physical activity.
Inter-individual variations in gut microbiota composition are observed even among healthy populations. The gut microbiota may exhibit a unique composition depending on the country of origin and race ...of individuals. To comprehensively understand the link between healthy gut microbiota and host state, it is beneficial to conduct large-scale cohort studies. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the integrated and non-redundant factors associated with gut microbiota composition within the Japanese population by 16S rRNA sequencing of fecal samples and questionnaire-based covariate analysis.
A total of 1596 healthy Japanese individuals participated in this study via two independent cohorts, NIBIOHN cohort (n = 954) and MORINAGA cohort (n = 642). Gut microbiota composition was described and the interaction of these microorganisms with metadata parameters such as anthropometric measurements, bowel habits, medical history, and lifestyle were obtained. Thirteen genera, including Alistipes, Anaerostipes, Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, Blautia, Eubacterium halli group, Faecalibacterium, Fusicatenibacter, Lachnoclostridium, Parabacteroides, Prevotella_9, Roseburia, and Subdoligranulum were predominant among the two cohorts. On the basis of univariate analysis for overall microbiome variation, 18 matching variables exhibited significant association in both cohorts. A stepwise redundancy analysis revealed that there were four common covariates, Bristol Stool Scale (BSS) scores, gender, age, and defecation frequency, displaying non-redundant association with gut microbial variance.
We conducted a comprehensive analysis of gut microbiota in healthy Japanese individuals, based on two independent cohorts, and obtained reliable evidence that questionnaire-based covariates such as frequency of bowel movement and specific dietary habit affects the microbial composition of the gut. To our knowledge, this was the first study to investigate integrated and non-redundant factors associated with gut microbiota among Japanese populations.
Escherichia coli harboring polyketide synthase (pks
E. coli) has been suggested to contribute to colorectal cancer development. Physical activity is strongly associated with lower colorectal cancer ...risks, but its effects on pks
E. coli remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between pks
E. coli prevalence and physical activity. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 222 Japanese adults (27-79-years-old, 73.9% female). Triaxial accelerometers were used to measure light-intensity physical activity, moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity, the physical activity level, step-count, and time spent inactive. Fecal samples collected from participants were used to determine the prevalence of pks
E. coli. Multivariate logistic regression analysis and restricted cubic spline curves were used to examine the association between pks
E. coli prevalence and physical activity. The prevalence of pks
E. coli was 26.6% (59/222 participants). The adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the highest tertile with reference to the lowest tertile of physical activity variables were as follows: light-intensity physical activity (OR 0.63; 95% CI 0.26-1.5), moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (OR 0.85; 95% CI 0.39-1.87), physical activity level (OR 0.69; 95% CI 0.32-1.51), step-count (OR 0.92; 95% CI 0.42-2.00) and time spent inactive (OR 1.30; 95% CI 0.58-2.93). No significant dose-response relationship was found between all physical activity variables and pks
E. coli prevalence. Our findings did not suggest that physical activity has beneficial effects on the prevalence of pks
E. coli. Longitudinal studies targeting a large population are needed to clarify this association.
With an ever-increasing interest in understanding the relationships between the microbiota and the host, more tools to map, analyze and interpret these relationships have been developed. Most of ...these tools, however, focus on taxonomic profiling and comparative analysis among groups, with very few analytical tools designed to correlate microbiota and the host phenotypic data. We have developed a software program for creating a web-based integrative database and analysis platform called MANTA (Microbiota And pheNoType correlation Analysis platform). In addition to storing the data, MANTA is equipped with an intuitive user interface that can be used to correlate the microbial composition with phenotypic parameters. Using a case study, we demonstrated that MANTA was able to quickly identify the significant correlations between microbial abundances and phenotypes that are supported by previous studies. Moreover, MANTA enabled the users to quick access locally stored data that can help interpret microbiota-phenotype relations. MANTA is available at https://mizuguchilab.org/manta/ for download and the source code can be found at https://github.com/chenyian-nibio/manta.
The gut microbiota is closely related to good health; thus, there have been extensive efforts dedicated to improving health by controlling the gut microbial environment. Probiotics and prebiotics are ...being developed to support a healthier intestinal environment. However, much work remains to be performed to provide effective solutions to overcome individual differences in the gut microbial community. This study examined the importance of nutrients, other than dietary fiber, on the survival of gut bacteria in high-health-conscious populations. We found that vitamin B1, which is an essential nutrient for humans, had a significant effect on the survival and competition of bacteria in the symbiotic gut microbiota. In particular, sufficient dietary vitamin B1 intake affects the relative abundance of
, and these bacteria have proven to require dietary vitamin B1 because they lack the de novo vitamin B1 synthetic pathway. Moreover, we demonstrated that vitamin B1 is involved in the production of butyrate, along with the amount of acetate in the intestinal environment. We established the causality of possible associations and obtained mechanical insight, through in vivo murine experiments and in silico pathway analyses. These findings serve as a reference to support the development of methods to establish optimal intestinal environment conditions for healthy lifestyles.
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