Gut bacteria may be involved in diabetes

Early results from an ongoing prospective study led by researchers at Cedars-Sinai suggest that one type of bacterium found in the gut may contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes, and that another type of bacterium may contribute. may protect against this disease.

Research published in peer-reviewed journals Diabetes mellitusfound that people with higher levels of a bacterium called Coprococcus tended to have higher insulin On the other hand, those with higher levels of bacterial flavonifractors in their microbiome tended to have lower insulin sensitivity.

For years, researchers have sought to understand why people develop diabetes by studying the composition of the microbiome, a collection of microorganisms, including fungi. bacteria and viruses that live in the digestive tract. The microbiome is believed to be influenced by drugs and diet. Studies have also found that people who don’t process their insulin properly have lower levels of a specific type of bacteria that produces a fatty acid called butyric acid.

Mark Goodarzi, MD, Ph.D., Director of the Endocrine Genetics Laboratory, Cedars-Sinai, said: ongoing research It’s about tracking and observing people at risk for diabetes to see if people with low levels of these bacteria develop the disease.

“The big question we want to address is whether microbiome differences caused diabetes, or did diabetes drive microbiome differences?” Senior author of the study, Microbiome and Insulin Longitudinal Evaluation Study said Goodarzi, principal investigator of a multicenter study called (MILES).

Since 2018, investigators involved in MILES have collected information from participating black and non-Hispanic white adults ages 40 to 80. Previous cohort studies The MILES trial found that delivery by caesarean section was associated with an increased risk of developing prediabetes and diabetes.

For the latest study from this ongoing trial, researchers analyzed data from 352 people without known diabetes recruited from the Wake Forest Baptist Health System in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Study participants were asked to attend and collect 3 clinic visits stool sample before the visit. Investigators analyzed the data collected during the first visit. They genetically sequenced stool samples, for example, to study the participants’ microbiomes, specifically looking for bacteria that previous studies found to be associated with insulin resistance. rice field. Each participant also completed a dietary questionnaire and underwent an oral glucose tolerance test used to determine their ability to process glucose.

The researchers found that 28 had oral glucose tolerance results that met the criteria for diabetes.They also found that 135 people had prediabetesa condition in which a person’s blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to meet the definition of diabetes.

The researchers analyzed 36 butyrate-producing bacteria found in fecal samples and their association with a person’s ability to maintain normal levels of insulin. They controlled for factors that may also contribute to diabetes risk in humans, such as age, gender, body mass index and race.Coprococcus and related bacteria are a network of bacteria with beneficial effects on insulin sensitivity. formed. Despite being butyric acid producers, flavonifractors have been associated with insulin resistance. Previous studies by others have found high levels of flavonifractors in the stool of diabetic patients.

The researchers continue to study samples from patients who participated in this study to see how insulin production and microbiome composition change over time. We plan to study how it affects the bacterial balance.

However, Goodarzi stressed that it is too early to know how people can change themselves. microbiome Reduces risk of diabetes.

“As for the idea of ​​taking probiotics, it’s actually going to be somewhat ,” said Goodarzi, who is also the Eris M. Field Chair of Diabetes Research at Cedars-Sinai. “Further research is needed to identify specific bacteria that need to be modulated for prevention or treatment. Diabetes mellitus, but it will probably come within the next five to ten years. ”