Gut microbiota and BMI throughout childhood: the role of firmicutes, bacteroidetes, and short-chain fatty acid producers.

ABSTRACT: Childhood obesity is a risk factor for numerous health conditions. A critical factor in the etiology of obesity appears to be the gut microbiota, which is the microbial community that resides in the human gut. The ratio of the phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes (F/B) and gut bacterial genera that produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) have been suggested to contribute to obesity. The current study investigated (1) whether differences in F/B ratio can be observed in infancy and childhood in relation to zBMI in healthy children, and (2) whether an innovative proxy measure adds evidence to a relationship between SCFA producers and the etiology of obesity. Stool samples were collected at five time points, and zBMI was assessed at eight time points throughout the first 12 years of life. Our con

SUBMITTER: Houtman TA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8873392 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature