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. 2019 Sep 5;7(9):320.
doi: 10.3390/microorganisms7090320.

Predictors of Obesity among Gut Microbiota Biomarkers in African American Men with and without Diabetes

Elena Barengolts  1   2 , Stefan J Green  3 , George E Chlipala  4 , Brian T Layden  5   6 , Yuval Eisenberg  5 , Medha Priyadarshini  5 , Lara R Dugas  7
Affiliations

Predictors of Obesity among Gut Microbiota Biomarkers in African American Men with and without Diabetes

Elena Barengolts et al. Microorganisms. .

Abstract

Gut microbiota and their biomarkers may be associated with obesity. This study evaluated associations of body mass index (BMI) with circulating microbiota biomarkers in African American men (AAM) (n = 75). The main outcomes included fecal microbial community structure (16S rRNA), gut permeability biomarkers (ELISA), and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs, metabolome analysis). These outcomes were compared between obese and non-obese men, after adjusting for age. The results showed that lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP), the ratio of LBP to CD14 (LBP/CD14), and SCFAs (propionic, butyric, isovaleric) were higher in obese (n = 41, age 58 years, BMI 36 kg/m2) versus non-obese (n = 34, age 55 years, BMI 26 kg/m2) men. BMI correlated positively with LBP, LBP/CD14 (p < 0.05 for both) and SCFAs (propionic, butyric, isovaleric, p < 0.01 for all). In the regression analysis, LBP, LBP/CD14, propionic and butyric acids were independent determinants of BMI. The study showed for the first time that selected microbiota biomarkers (LBP, LBP/CD14, propionic and butyric acids) together with several other relevant risks explained 39%-47% of BMI variability, emphasizing that factors other than microbiota-related biomarkers could be important. Further research is needed to provide clinical and mechanistic insight into microbiota biomarkers and their utility for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

Keywords: African American men; BMI; CD14; EndoCab; LBP; SCFA; body mass index; butyric; cluster of differentiation 14 protein; cortisol; endotoxin core antibody; gut microbiota; lipopolysaccharide-binding protein; obesity; propionic; short-chain fatty acids; type 2 diabetes mellitus; zonulin.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Overall Design of Study.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Association of cortisol with the Shannon index of microbiota diversity. Data are: Y-axis is Shannon index, X-axis: 1, 2, 3 are Tertiles (T) of cortisol level, p = 0.006 for T1 versus T3 by Mann–Whitney test.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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