Red and White Meat Intake in Relation to Gut Flora in Obese and Non-Obese Arab Females.

BACKGROUND

high meat intake may contribute to several chronic diseases including obesity. However, evidence is insufficient on the relation between red/white meat intake and gut flora among individuals with varying degrees of adiposity.

OBJECTIVE

investigate the association of red/white meat intake with gut flora in Saudi Arabian females with/without obesity.

METHODS

this observational study involved 92 females with and without obesity (n = 44, 48, respectively) aged 19-25 years. The whole-genome shotgun technique was used to analyze the gut flora. Shannon alpha and Bray-Curtis beta diversity as well as correlation coefficients were used.

RESULTS

in the total sample, there were positive correlations between ( ≤ 0.05), ( ≤ 0.0001), and total red meat intake. There were also positive correlations between total white meat intake, , and ( ≤ 0.05) in the total sample. In the group without obesity, there was a positive correlation between low white meat intake and ( = 0.05). In the group with obesity, there was a positive correlation between high white meat intake and ( ≤ 0.001).

CONCLUSION

our findings suggest that meat intake had an impact on the gut flora of Arab adult females, independent of adiposity. Specific strains identified in this study need further investigation to determine their relation to meat intake and obesity.