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Abstract
Purpose
To examine the association of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), gut microbiota and obesity in individual twins and to control for genetic and shared environmental effects by studying monozygotic intrapair differences.
Patients and Methods
The study recruited 20 pairs of monozygotic twins. Body composition measurements were performed by using the multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance technique. SCFAs were extracted from feces and quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometer. Gut microbiota was evaluated by 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
Results
Fecal SCFAs were negatively correlated with adiposity parameters including body mass index, visceral adipose tissue and waist circumference (all P < 0.05). Metastat analysis showed that the top 5 relatively abundant bacterial taxa of viscerally obese and non-obese groups were Bacteroides, Collinsella, Eubacterium rectale group, Lachnoclostridium, and Tyzzerella. Participants with visceral obesity had lower abundance of Bacteroides and Collinsella compared to non-obese patients (P < 0.05). Among them, the abundance of Collinsella was positively correlated with acetic acid concentrations (r = 0.63, P = 0.011). There were no significant intrapair differences in each SCFA concentrations between the twins in our study (P > 0.05).
Conclusion
Low fecal concentrations of SCFAs were associated with visceral obesity, and the gut microbiota might be involved in the underlying mechanism.
Author Contributions
Xing-Qi Yin and Ya-Xin An contributed equally to this study and should be considered co-first authors for this study. Ke Yu designed and conducted the study. Xing-Qi Yin and Ya-Xin An analyzed the data and drafted the manuscript. Cai-Guo Yu, Jing Ke and Dong Zhao reviewed the manuscript. All authors made substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; took part in drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; agreed to submit to the current journal; gave final approval of the version to be published; and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.