Meta-analysis reveals different functional characteristics of human gut Bifidobacteria associated with habitual diet

Abstract

Dietary habits contribute to the composition and function of the gut microbiota. Different dietary structures, including vegan, vegetarian, and omnivorous diets, affect intestinal Bifidobacteria; however, the relationship between Bifidobacterial function and host metabolism in subjects with different dietary patterns is unclear. Here, we analyzed five metagenomics studies and six 16S sequencing studies, including 206 vegetarians (VG), 249 omnivores (O), and 270 vegans (V), through an unbiased theme-level meta-analysis framework and discovered that diet significantly affects the composition and functionality of intestinal Bifidobacteria. The relative abundance of Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum was significantly higher in V than in O and Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium adolescentis, and B. pseudocatenulatum differed significantly in carbohydrate transport and metabolism in subjects with different diet types. Diets high in fiber were associated with B. longum with increased capacity for carbohydrate catabolism and genes encoding GH29 and GH43_27 were significantly enriched in V. Bifidobacterium adolescentis and B. pseudocatenulatum, associated with O, had a higher prevalence of the genes related to carbohydrate transport and metabolism, which showed the enrichment of GH26 and GH27 families. The same Bifidobacterium species has different functions in subjects with different diet types, resulting in different physiological significance. The diversification and functionalities of Bifidobacterial species in the gut microbiome can be influenced by the host diet and this aspect should be considered when studying host-microbe associations.

Keywords: Bifidobacterium; Diet; Meta-analysis; Omnivores; Vegans; Vegetarians.