College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
Systems Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT, USA.
Sci Rep. 2022 Mar 2;12(1):3452. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-07381-3.
As screens are increasingly integrated into every facet of modern life, there is growing concern over the potential effects of high screen time. Previous studies have largely utilized self-report data on mood and behavioral aspects of screen time, and no molecular theory has yet been developed. In this study, we explored the fecal microbiome and metabolome of a diverse group of 60 college students, classified by high (≥ 75 min/day) or low (0-75 min/day) self-reported screen time using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, targeted liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and targeted detection of short-chain fatty acids using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Several key taxa and metabolites were significantly altered between groups and found to be highly co-occurrent. Results of pathway and enzyme enrichment analyses were synthesized to articulate an integrated hypothesis indicating widespread mitochondrial dysfunction and aberrant amino acid metabolism. High screen time was also predicted to be significantly associated with type I diabetes, obesity, chronic fatigue syndrome, and various manifestations of inflammatory bowel. This is the first-ever study to report the effects of high screen time at the molecular level, and these results provide a data-driven hypothesis for future experimental research.
随着屏幕在现代生活的各个方面越来越普及，人们对长时间使用屏幕可能带来的影响的担忧也日益增加。之前的研究主要利用关于屏幕时间的情绪和行为方面的自我报告数据，尚未提出分子理论。在这项研究中，我们使用 16S rRNA 扩增子测序、靶向液相色谱-串联质谱法和气相色谱-质谱法靶向检测短链脂肪酸，对 60 名大学生的粪便微生物组和代谢组进行了研究，这些学生根据自我报告的屏幕时间分为高（≥75 分钟/天）或低（0-75 分钟/天）组。两组之间有几个关键的分类群和代谢物发生了显著变化，并且发现它们高度共存。途径和酶富集分析的结果被综合起来，形成了一个综合假说，表明广泛的线粒体功能障碍和异常的氨基酸代谢。高屏幕时间也与 I 型糖尿病、肥胖、慢性疲劳综合征和各种炎症性肠病的表现显著相关。这是首次在分子水平上报告长时间使用屏幕的影响的研究，这些结果为未来的实验研究提供了一个数据驱动的假说。
