Are the health of your gut bacteria and consequently your gut an indicator of whether or not you will develop diabetes? One type of bacteria found in the gut may contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes while other types may protect against the disease, according to a prospective study led by investigators from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, US.
The study, called the Microbiome and Insulin Longitudinal Evaluation Study (MILES), was published in the peer-reviewed journal diabetes, It found that people with higher levels of the bacteria called coprococcus tended to have higher insulin sensitivity, while those with higher levels of bacteria flavonifractor Tendency to have low insulin sensitivity.
“It’s an interesting study,” says Dr V Mohan, chairman of the Mohan Diabetes Specialty Centre. Chennai, “But it’s early days.” In addition, several studies have attempted to solidify a link between diabetes and the gut microbiome, or the fungi, bacteria, and viruses that live in the digestive tract. Several researchers have found that people who do not process insulin properly have lower levels of a certain type of bacteria that produces a type of fatty acid called butyrate. “We have self-conducted a large Indo-Danish study supported by the Department of Biotechnology on the effect of gut microbiota on insulin sensitivity. We assessed gut microbes among three categories of people, those without diabetes, those with pre-diabetes and those with diabetes. We found a major difference between the gut microbiota of Indians and Danes. This was because our eating habits are different; We are a high carb eater. That was a racial difference. But within the same race, differences in gut microbiota between normal and those with prediabetes and diabetes were modest at best and not substantial enough to be noticeable. The study groups had more or less one or two bacteria but their presence or absence was not significant enough to make a differential diagnosis based on the microbiota. Even this study is based on preliminary observations and detailed research is needed to identify a pattern,” says Dr. Mohan.
As for the growing currency of the theory that probiotics help diabetics, no studies have shown conclusive evidence, he stresses. “Probiotics are useful for smooth bowel function among elderly with constipation. You need them every time you take antibiotics. But their role in diabetes is unproven and definitely not applicable to Indians,” Dr. Best of all, they’re good for suppressing signs of inflammation, says Mohan.
Besides, there is another dilemma. Mark Gudarzzi, MD, PhD, director of the Endocrine Genetics Laboratory at Cedars-Sinai, was quoted as saying, “The big question we’re hoping to answer is: Were microbiome differences the cause of diabetes, or Was Diabetes Caused by ?Microbiome Differences?
Investigators involved in MILES have been collecting information since 2018 from participating black and non-Hispanic white adults between the ages of 40 and 80. An earlier cohort study from the MILES trial found that birth by cesarean section is associated with a higher risk for developing prediabetes. and diabetes.
This time the investigators analyzed data from 352 people who were not known to have diabetes. Study participants were asked to attend three clinic visits and collect stool samples before arriving at the site. The investigators performed a genetic sequencing test on stool samples to specifically look for bacteria that have been found to be associated with insulin resistance in earlier studies.
The research team analyzed associations between 36 butyrate-producing bacteria found in stool samples and a person’s ability to maintain normal levels of insulin. According to the findings,coprococcus And the associated bacteria formed a network of bacteria with beneficial effects on insulin sensitivity. Despite being a producer of butyrate, flavonifractor was linked to insulin resistance; Others have found high levels of prior work flavonifractor In the feces of people with diabetes.
“We need more research to identify the specific bacteria we need to modify to prevent or treat diabetes, but that’s probably coming in the next five to 10 years,” the researchers say. “