Moser Brandy, Moore Dustin, Khadka Bishnu, Lyons Carrie, Foxall Tom, Andam Cheryl P, Parker Cooper J, Ochin Chinedu, Garelnabi Mahdi, Sevigny Joseph, Thomas W Kelley, Bigornia Sherman, Dao Maria Carlota
Department of Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States.
Building Community in New Hampshire, Manchester, NH, United States.
Front Nutr. 2023 Jan 6;9:1059163. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1059163. eCollection 2022.
South Asian refugees experience a high risk of obesity and diabetes yet are often underrepresented in studies on chronic diseases and their risk factors. The gut microbiota and gut permeability, as assessed through circulating lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP), may underlie the link between chronic inflammation and type 2 diabetes (T2D). The composition of the gut microbiota varies according to multiple factors including demographics, migration, and dietary patterns, particularly fiber intake. However, there is no evidence on the composition of the gut microbiota and its relationship with metabolic health in refugee populations, including those migrating to the United States from Bhutan. The objective of this study was to examine glycemic status in relation to LBP, systemic inflammation fiber intake, and gut microbiota composition in Bhutanese refugee adults residing in New Hampshire ( = 50).
This cross-sectional study included a convenience sample of Bhutanese refugee adults ( = 50) in NH. Established bioinformatics pipelines for metagenomic analysis were used to determine relative genus abundance, species richness, and alpha diversity measures from shallow shotgun sequences. The relationships between inflammatory markers, gut microbiota composition, dietary fiber, and glycemic status were analyzed.
We identified a substantial chronic disease burden in this study population, and observed a correlation between glycemic status, LBP, and inflammation, and a correlation between glycemic status and gut microbiome alpha diversity. Further, we identified a significant correlation between proinflammatory taxa and inflammatory cytokines. SCFA-producing taxa were found to be inversely correlated with age.
To date, this is the most comprehensive examination of metabolic health and the gut microbiome in a Bhutanese refugee population in NH. The findings highlight areas for future investigations of inflammation and glycemic impairment, in addition to informing potential interventions targeting this vulnerable population.
南亚难民患肥胖症和糖尿病的风险很高，但在关于慢性病及其风险因素的研究中，他们的代表性往往不足。通过循环脂多糖结合蛋白（LBP）评估的肠道微生物群和肠道通透性，可能是慢性炎症与2型糖尿病（T2D）之间联系的基础。肠道微生物群的组成因多种因素而异，包括人口统计学、移民和饮食模式，特别是纤维摄入量。然而，没有证据表明难民群体（包括从不丹移民到美国的难民）的肠道微生物群组成及其与代谢健康的关系。本研究的目的是调查居住在新罕布什尔州的不丹难民成年人（n = 50）的血糖状况与LBP、全身炎症、纤维摄入量和肠道微生物群组成之间的关系。
这项横断面研究纳入了新罕布什尔州不丹难民成年人的便利样本（n = 50）。使用既定的宏基因组分析生物信息学管道，从浅层鸟枪法序列中确定相对属丰度、物种丰富度和α多样性指标。分析了炎症标志物、肠道微生物群组成、膳食纤维和血糖状况之间的关系。
我们在本研究人群中发现了大量的慢性病负担，并观察到血糖状况、LBP和炎症之间存在相关性，以及血糖状况与肠道微生物群α多样性之间存在相关性。此外，我们发现促炎分类群与炎症细胞因子之间存在显著相关性。发现产生短链脂肪酸的分类群与年龄呈负相关。
迄今为止，这是对新罕布什尔州不丹难民人群代谢健康和肠道微生物群最全面的检查。这些发现突出了未来炎症和血糖损伤研究的领域，此外还为针对这一弱势群体的潜在干预措施提供了信息。
