Ramen Consumption and Gut Microbiota Diversity in Japanese Women: Cross-Sectional Data from the NEXIS Cohort Study

Jonguk Park; Hiroto Bushita; Ayatake Nakano; Ai Hara; Hiroshi M Ueno; Naoki Ozato; Koji Hosomi; Hitoshi Kawashima; Yi-An Chen; Attayeb Mohsen; Harumi Ohno; Kana Konishi; Kumpei Tanisawa; Hinako Nanri; Haruka Murakami; Motohiko Miyachi; Jun Kunisawa; Kenji Mizuguchi; Michihiro Araki

doi:10.3390/microorganisms11081892

Ramen Consumption and Gut Microbiota Diversity in Japanese Women: Cross-Sectional Data from the NEXIS Cohort Study

Microorganisms. 2023 Jul 26;11(8):1892. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11081892.

Authors

Jonguk Park^{1

2}, Hiroto Bushita^{2

3}, Ayatake Nakano^{2

4}, Ai Hara^{2

5}, Hiroshi M Ueno^{2

4}, Naoki Ozato^{2

3}, Koji Hosomi⁶, Hitoshi Kawashima¹, Yi-An Chen¹, Attayeb Mohsen¹, Harumi Ohno^{7

8}, Kana Konishi^{7

9}, Kumpei Tanisawa^{7

10}, Hinako Nanri⁷, Haruka Murakami^{7

11}, Motohiko Miyachi^{7

10}, Jun Kunisawa^{6

12

13

14

15}, Kenji Mizuguchi^{1

16}, Michihiro Araki^{1

17

18

19}

Affiliations

¹ Artificial Intelligence Center for Health and Biomedical Research, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, 3-17 Senrioka-shinmachi, Settsu 566-0002, Osaka, Japan.
² International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Japan, Gobel Building 3-13-5, Morishita, Koto 135-0004, Tokyo, Japan.
³ Health & Wellness Products Research Laboratories, Kao Corporation, Tokyo 131-8501, Japan.
⁴ Milk Science Research Institute, Megmilk Snow Brand Co., Ltd., 1-1-2 Minamidai, Kawagoe 350-1165, Saitama, Japan.
⁵ Future Design Division, The KAITEKI Institute, Inc., Palace Building 1-1, Marunouchi 1-chome, Chiyoda 100-8251, Tokyo, Japan.
⁶ Laboratory of Vaccine Materials and Laboratory of Gut Environmental System, Microbial Research Center for Health and Medicine, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, 7-6-8 Saito-Asagi, Ibaraki 567-0085, Osaka, Japan.
⁷ Department of Physical Activity Research, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, 3-17 Senrioka-shinmachi, Settsu 566-0002, Osaka, Japan.
⁸ Department of Nutrition, Kiryu University, 606-7 Azami, Kasakake-machi, Midori 379-2392, Gunma, Japan.
⁹ Faculty of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Toyo University, 1-1-1 Izumino, Itakura, Oura 374-0193, Gunma, Japan.
¹⁰ Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, 2-579-15 Mikajima, Tokorozawa 359-1192, Saitama, Japan.
¹¹ Faculty of Sport and Health Science, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Nojihigashi, Kusatsu 525-8577, Shiga, Japan.
¹² International Research and Development Center for Mucosal Vaccines, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato 108-8639, Tokyo, Japan.
¹³ Graduate School of Medicine, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of Dentistry, Graduate School of Sciences, Osaka University, 1-1 Yamadaoka, Suita 565-0871, Osaka, Japan.
¹⁴ Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe University, 7-5-1 Kusunoki, Chuo, Kobe 650-0017, Hyogo, Japan.
¹⁵ Research Organization for Nano and Life Innovation, Waseda University, 513 Waseda-Tsurumaki, Shinjuku 162-0041, Tokyo, Japan.
¹⁶ Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-2 Yamadaoka, Suita 565-0871, Osaka, Japan.
¹⁷ Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, 54 Shogoin-Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
¹⁸ Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada-ku, Kobe 657-8501, Hyogo, Japan.
¹⁹ National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, 6-1 Kishibe-Shinmachi, Suita 564-8565, Osaka, Japan.

Abstract

A cross-sectional study involving 224 healthy Japanese adult females explored the relationship between ramen intake, gut microbiota diversity, and blood biochemistry. Using a stepwise regression model, ramen intake was inversely associated with gut microbiome alpha diversity after adjusting for related factors, including diets, Age, BMI, and stool habits (β = -0.018; r = -0.15 for Shannon index). The intake group of ramen was inversely associated with dietary nutrients and dietary fiber compared with the no-intake group of ramen. Sugar intake, Dorea as a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing gut microbiota, and γ-glutamyl transferase as a liver function marker were directly associated with ramen intake after adjustment for related factors including diets, gut microbiota, and blood chemistry using a stepwise logistic regression model, whereas Dorea is inconsistently less abundant in the ramen group. In conclusion, the increased ramen was associated with decreased gut bacterial diversity accompanying a perturbation of Dorea through the dietary nutrients, gut microbiota, and blood chemistry, while the methodological limitations existed in a cross-sectional study. People with frequent ramen eating habits need to take measures to consume various nutrients to maintain and improve their health, and dietary management can be applied to the dietary feature in ramen consumption.

Keywords: alpha diversity; diet; gut microbiota; nutrients; ramen.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT)/Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI (grant numbers 22K15004 to K.H.; 21H02757, 20H05697, 20H04117, 20K08534, and 21H02145 to J.K.; 20H04117 to M.M.; and 21K15267 to J.P.); the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED; grant numbers 22ae0121035s0102 to K.H., 22fk0108145h0003, 22ae0121042h0002, and 22ae0121035s0102 to J.K.); the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan and Public/Private R&D Investment Strategic Expansion Program: PRISM (grant number 20AC5004 to J.K.); the Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program: SIP (grant number 18087292 to J.K.); the Grant for Joint Research Project of the Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo (to J.K.); the Ono Medical Research Foundation (to J.K.); the Canon Foundation (to J.K.); and Japan Science and Technology Agency: COI-NEXT (grant number JPMJPF2018 to M.A.).