An ongoing study led by researchers at Cedars-Sinai is investigating the relationship between the gut microbiota and the development of type 2 diabetes. Early data from this study indicate that bacteria that produce certain fatty acids may be associated with healthier blood sugar levels.
About 350 non-diabetic patients participated in this long-term study, called MILES (Microbiome and Insulin Longitudinal Evaluation Study). The plan is for the cohort to be followed by him over two years, and he will assess each subject’s microbiome and glucose tolerance three times during the study period.
According to Mark Goodarzi, principal investigator of the study, the goal is to identify changes over time between insulin homeostasis and gut bacteria. Basically, researchers are trying to see if the development of diabetes or changes in the gut microbiome come first.
“The big question we want to address is whether microbiome differences caused diabetes, or did diabetes cause microbiome differences,” explained Gudarzi.
While the study is ongoing, Goodarzi and colleagues have published some early findings reporting on baseline data collected from each participant’s first assessment.These early findings were recently published in the journal Diabetes mellitusreveal a clear correlation between insulin sensitivity and a specific species of gut bacteria known to produce a short-chain fatty acid called butyrate.
Previous studies have suggested that one of the key factors for a healthy microbiome is the presence of high levels of butyrate-producing gut bacteria. Butyrate has recently been implicated in healthy aging and has been suspected of protecting against autoimmune diseases. The level of endogenous bacteria was found to be remarkably low.
These new findings add to this growing body of knowledge by focusing on 36 different strains of butyrate-producing bacteria, particularly as a network of five species is associated with the greatest benefit to insulin sensitivity. I made it clear what I thought. Coprococcus is coming, Ocillibacter sp. CAG241, Aristipes FinegordiWhen Faecalibacterium prausnitzii.
“Members of this group are highly cross-correlated at levels of abundance, suggesting a functional network,” the researchers wrote in the new study. It is associated with high butyrate levels, supporting the hypothesis that the production of butyrate by this group of bacteria improves metabolism, which can be absorbed systemically and improve insulin homeostasis.”
Complicating the findings is that the researchers detected two butyrate-producing species. flavonifractor pleutii When Anaerostipes caccae – Negatively associated with insulin sensitivity. While this is not the first study to link these specific bacterial species with an increased risk of diabetes, it does raise questions about a direct link between butyrate-producing bacteria and metabolic health.
“A possible explanation for the enrichment of specific butyrate producers in dysglycemic patients is that these taxa have genes that either counteract the beneficial effects of butyrate or encode other processes that adversely affect metabolism. “Another possible explanation is that such butyrate producers may be found in species that consume butyrate or in other species that produce harmful metabolites.” It’s about coexisting with the taxon.”
According to Goodarzi, these discordant results mean that it is too early to suggest that certain butyrate-producing probiotic cocktails can prevent diabetes. In fact, given that some butyrate-producing species may potentially contribute to the development of diabetes, it is worth noting that before more research is done to better understand what is going on. Experimenting with our microbial makeup can be dangerous.
MILES is underway, and researchers hope its long-term nature will provide insight into the causal link between insulin sensitivity and changes in gut bacteria. Scientists have finally solved this mystery, saying that diabetes could be treated with probiotic cocktails in the near future.
“When it comes to the idea of taking probiotics, [right now], it will actually be somewhat experimental,” said Goodarzi. “Further research is needed to identify the specific bacteria that need to be modulated to prevent or treat diabetes, but it will likely happen within the next five to 10 years.”
A new study was published in a journal Diabetes mellitus.
Source: Cedars-Sinai
