Association of the gut microbiota with clinical variables in obese and lean Emirati subjects

Manal Ali Ahmad; Mirey Karavetian; Carole Ayoub Moubareck; Gabi Wazz; Tarek Mahdy; Koen Venema

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2023.1182460

Association of the gut microbiota with clinical variables in obese and lean Emirati subjects

Front Microbiol. 2023 Aug 23:14:1182460. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1182460. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Manal Ali Ahmad¹, Mirey Karavetian², Carole Ayoub Moubareck³, Gabi Wazz⁴, Tarek Mahdy⁵, Koen Venema⁶

Affiliations

¹ School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.
² Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
³ College of Natural and Health Sciences, Zayed University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
⁴ Center of Excellence in Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery, Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
⁵ Department of Bariatric Surgery, Sharjah University, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
⁶ Centre for Healthy Eating and Food Innovation (HEFI), Maastricht University-Campus Venlo, Venlo, Netherlands.

Abstract

Background: Growing evidence supports the role of gut microbiota in obesity, yet exact associations remain largely unknown. Specifically, very little is known about this association in the Emirati population.

Methods: We explored differences in gut microbiota composition, particularly the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio, between 43 obese and 31 lean adult Emirate counterparts, and its association with obesity markers, by using V3-V4 regions of 16 S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing data. Furthermore, we collected anthropometric and biochemical data.

Results: The two major phyla in obese and lean groups were Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. We observed a significantly lower alpha diversity (Shannon index) in obese subjects and a significant difference in beta diversity and phylum and genus levels between the two groups. The obese group had higher abundances of Verrucomicrobia and Saccharibacteira and lower abundances of Lentisphaerae. Acidaminococcus and Lachnospira were more abundant in obese subjects and positively correlated with adiposity markers. No correlations were found between the gut microbiota and biochemical variables, such as fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides.

Conclusion: We reveal significant differences in the gut microbiota between obese and lean adult Emiratis and an association between certain microbial genera of the gut microbiota and obesity. A better understanding of the interactions between gut microbes, diet, lifestyle, and health is warranted.

Keywords: 16S rRNA; United Arab Emirates; bacteroidetes; firmicutes; gut microbiota; obesity.