Microbial Ecology and Metabolism of Emerging Adulthood: Gut Microbiome Insights from a College Freshman Cohort.

ABSTRACT: The human gut microbiome (GM) undergoes dynamic changes throughout life, transitioning from infancy to adulthood. Despite improved understanding over the past years about how genetics, lifestyle, and the external environment impact the GM, limited research has explored the GM's evolution during late-stage adolescence, especially among college students. This study addresses this gap by investigating the longitudinal dynamics of fecal microbial, functional, and metabolomic signatures in a diverse group of first-year, dormitory-housed college students. A total of 485 stool samples from 246 participants were analyzed, identifying four primary GM community types, predominantly led by Bacteroides (66.8% of samples), as well as Blautia and Prevotella. The Prevotella/

SUBMITTER: Mohr AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11361303 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature