Ethnic variations in metabolic syndrome components and their associations with the gut microbiota: the HELIUS study
Abstract Background The occurrence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and the gut microbiota composition are known to differ across ethnicities yet how these three factors are interwoven is unknown. Also, it is unknown what the relative contribution of the gut microbiota composition is to each MetS compon...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Genome Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13073-024-01295-7 |
| _version_ | 1797247122777571328 |
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| author | Manon Balvers Marcus de Goffau Natal van Riel Bert-Jan van den Born Henrike Galenkamp Koos Zwinderman Max Nieuwdorp Evgeni Levin |
| author_facet | Manon Balvers Marcus de Goffau Natal van Riel Bert-Jan van den Born Henrike Galenkamp Koos Zwinderman Max Nieuwdorp Evgeni Levin |
| author_sort | Manon Balvers |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The occurrence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and the gut microbiota composition are known to differ across ethnicities yet how these three factors are interwoven is unknown. Also, it is unknown what the relative contribution of the gut microbiota composition is to each MetS component and whether this differs between ethnicities. We therefore determined the occurrence of MetS and its components in the multi-ethnic HELIUS cohort and tested the overall and ethnic-specific associations with the gut microbiota composition. Methods We included 16,209 treatment naïve participants of the HELIUS study, which were of Dutch, African Surinamese, South-Asian Surinamese, Ghanaian, Turkish, and Moroccan descent to analyze MetS and its components across ethnicities. In a subset (n = 3443), the gut microbiota composition (16S) was associated with MetS outcomes using linear and logistic regression models. Results A differential, often sex-dependent, prevalence of MetS components and their combinations were observed across ethnicities. Increased blood pressure was commonly seen especially in Ghanaians, while South-Asian Surinamese and Turkish had higher MetS rates in general and were characterized by worse lipid-related measures. Regarding the gut microbiota, when ethnic-independent associations were assumed, a higher α-diversity, higher abundance of several ASVs (mostly for waist and triglyceride-related outcomes) and a trophic network of ASVs of Ruminococcaceae, Christensenellaceae, and Methanobrevibacter (RCM) bacteria were associated with better MetS outcomes. Statistically significant ethnic-specific associations were however noticed for α-diversity and the RCM trophic network. Associations were significant in the Dutch but not always in all other ethnicities. In Ghanaians, a higher α-diversity and RCM network abundance showed an aberrant positive association with high blood pressure measures compared to the other ethnicities. Even though adjustment for socioeconomic status-, lifestyle-, and diet-related variables often attenuated the effect size and/or the statistical significance of the ethnic-specific associations, an overall similar pattern across outcomes and ethnicities remained. Conclusions The occurrence of MetS characteristics among ethnicities is heterogeneous. Both ethnic-independent and ethnic-specific associations were identified between the gut microbiota and MetS outcomes. Across multiple ethnicities, a one-size-fits-all approach may thus be reconsidered in regard to both the definition and/or treatment of MetS and its relation to the gut microbiota. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T19:53:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4462d23adac8456cbb80854e9d23585f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1756-994X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T19:53:41Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Genome Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-4462d23adac8456cbb80854e9d23585f2024-03-24T12:28:31ZengBMCGenome Medicine1756-994X2024-03-0116111710.1186/s13073-024-01295-7Ethnic variations in metabolic syndrome components and their associations with the gut microbiota: the HELIUS studyManon Balvers0Marcus de Goffau1Natal van Riel2Bert-Jan van den Born3Henrike Galenkamp4Koos Zwinderman5Max Nieuwdorp6Evgeni Levin7Department of Internal and Vascular Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical CentersDepartment of Internal and Vascular Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical CentersDepartment of Internal and Vascular Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical CentersDepartment of Internal and Vascular Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical CentersDepartment of Public and Occupational Health and Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam University Medical CentersDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Amsterdam University Medical CentersDepartment of Internal and Vascular Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical CentersDepartment of Internal and Vascular Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical CentersAbstract Background The occurrence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and the gut microbiota composition are known to differ across ethnicities yet how these three factors are interwoven is unknown. Also, it is unknown what the relative contribution of the gut microbiota composition is to each MetS component and whether this differs between ethnicities. We therefore determined the occurrence of MetS and its components in the multi-ethnic HELIUS cohort and tested the overall and ethnic-specific associations with the gut microbiota composition. Methods We included 16,209 treatment naïve participants of the HELIUS study, which were of Dutch, African Surinamese, South-Asian Surinamese, Ghanaian, Turkish, and Moroccan descent to analyze MetS and its components across ethnicities. In a subset (n = 3443), the gut microbiota composition (16S) was associated with MetS outcomes using linear and logistic regression models. Results A differential, often sex-dependent, prevalence of MetS components and their combinations were observed across ethnicities. Increased blood pressure was commonly seen especially in Ghanaians, while South-Asian Surinamese and Turkish had higher MetS rates in general and were characterized by worse lipid-related measures. Regarding the gut microbiota, when ethnic-independent associations were assumed, a higher α-diversity, higher abundance of several ASVs (mostly for waist and triglyceride-related outcomes) and a trophic network of ASVs of Ruminococcaceae, Christensenellaceae, and Methanobrevibacter (RCM) bacteria were associated with better MetS outcomes. Statistically significant ethnic-specific associations were however noticed for α-diversity and the RCM trophic network. Associations were significant in the Dutch but not always in all other ethnicities. In Ghanaians, a higher α-diversity and RCM network abundance showed an aberrant positive association with high blood pressure measures compared to the other ethnicities. Even though adjustment for socioeconomic status-, lifestyle-, and diet-related variables often attenuated the effect size and/or the statistical significance of the ethnic-specific associations, an overall similar pattern across outcomes and ethnicities remained. Conclusions The occurrence of MetS characteristics among ethnicities is heterogeneous. Both ethnic-independent and ethnic-specific associations were identified between the gut microbiota and MetS outcomes. Across multiple ethnicities, a one-size-fits-all approach may thus be reconsidered in regard to both the definition and/or treatment of MetS and its relation to the gut microbiota.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13073-024-01295-7Metabolic syndromeEthnicityGut microbiomeChristensenellaceaeα-diversityHELIUS study |
| spellingShingle | Manon Balvers Marcus de Goffau Natal van Riel Bert-Jan van den Born Henrike Galenkamp Koos Zwinderman Max Nieuwdorp Evgeni Levin Ethnic variations in metabolic syndrome components and their associations with the gut microbiota: the HELIUS study Genome Medicine Metabolic syndrome Ethnicity Gut microbiome Christensenellaceae α-diversity HELIUS study |
| title | Ethnic variations in metabolic syndrome components and their associations with the gut microbiota: the HELIUS study |
| title_full | Ethnic variations in metabolic syndrome components and their associations with the gut microbiota: the HELIUS study |
| title_fullStr | Ethnic variations in metabolic syndrome components and their associations with the gut microbiota: the HELIUS study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ethnic variations in metabolic syndrome components and their associations with the gut microbiota: the HELIUS study |
| title_short | Ethnic variations in metabolic syndrome components and their associations with the gut microbiota: the HELIUS study |
| title_sort | ethnic variations in metabolic syndrome components and their associations with the gut microbiota the helius study |
| topic | Metabolic syndrome Ethnicity Gut microbiome Christensenellaceae α-diversity HELIUS study |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13073-024-01295-7 |
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