The associations of the gut microbiome composition and short-chain fatty acid concentrations with body fat distribution in children

Yuanhuan Wei; Jingjing Liang; Yixiang Su; Jue Wang; William Kwame Amakye; Jianliang Pan; Xinwei Chu; Bingjie Ma; Yanyan Song; Yan Li; Limei Mao; Zheqing Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2020.11.014

The associations of the gut microbiome composition and short-chain fatty acid concentrations with body fat distribution in children

Clin Nutr. 2021 May;40(5):3379-3390. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2020.11.014. Epub 2020 Nov 20.

Authors

Yuanhuan Wei¹, Jingjing Liang², Yixiang Su³, Jue Wang⁴, William Kwame Amakye⁴, Jianliang Pan⁵, Xinwei Chu⁴, Bingjie Ma², Yanyan Song², Yan Li⁴, Limei Mao⁶, Zheqing Zhang⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China; Department of Clinical Nutrition, Huazhong University of Science and Technology Union Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
² Department of Child Health Care, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
³ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Food, Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
⁴ Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
⁵ Department of Hygiene Detection Center, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
⁶ Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: mlm912@163.com.
⁷ Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: zzqaa501@smu.edu.cn.

PMID: 33277072
DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2020.11.014

Abstract

Background & aims: Previous studies linking the gut microbiome with childhood obesity largely used the body mass index to measure obesity and reached inconsistent findings. Little evidence has linked the gut microbiome to regional body fat deposition. We investigated whether the abundance of specific taxa in the gut microbiota and the concentrations of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were associated with the content and regional deposition of body fat in children.

Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 236 children aged 6-9 years. The fat mass contents/percentages in the total body and the android, gynoid, and limb regions were determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and the android-to-gynoid fat mass ratio and fat-to-lean mass ratios were calculated. Fecal samples were subjected to16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, and the fecal SCFA concentrations were quantified via high-performance liquid chromatography.

Results: A weighted gene co-expression network analysis identified seven modules of co-expressed operational taxonomic units (OTUs). A total of 57 OTUs from 4 key modules were selected for further analysis. After adjustment of covariates and controlling for the false discovery rate (FDR), a multiple linear regression analysis revealed significant correlations of the abundances of some OTUs with obesity and body fat measures. For instance, the OTUs classified to the species Ruminococcus gnavus and Flavonifractor plautii showed significant negative correlations with the total and regional body fat (β: -0.250 to -0.180, P_FDR: 0.041-0.049), whereas OTUs belonging to the genera Blautia and Romboutsia exhibited positive correlations with body fat measures (β: 0.184-0.222, P_FDR: 0.041-0.049). The fecal concentrations of acetic, propionic, and butyric acids and total SCFAs were significantly positively correlated with various parameters of body fat distribution (β: 0.160-0.275, P_FDR: <0.001-0.042).

Conclusion: The gut microbiome and SCFAs are significantly associated with obesity and body fat distribution in pediatric population.

Keywords: Body fat distribution; Children; Microbiome; Obesity; Short-chain fatty acids.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Body Fat Distribution / statistics & numerical data*
Body Mass Index
Child
China
Cross-Sectional Studies
Diet / statistics & numerical data
Fatty Acids, Volatile / analysis*
Feces / chemistry
Feces / microbiology
Female
Gastrointestinal Microbiome / physiology*
Humans
Male
Pediatric Obesity / epidemiology

Substances

Fatty Acids, Volatile