IMPE Abstracts

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of gut microbiota in children with disparate degrees of adiposity, and analyze the association between gut microbiota, glucose metabolism indicators and inflammatory factors.

Methods: Clinical data were examined in 89 Chinese children. Children with body fat (BF)% ≥ 30% were diagnosed as obesity, and ≥ 35% in males and ≥40% in females were further defined as severe obesity. The composition of gut microbiota was determined by 16S rRNA-based metagenomics.

Results: The study population (9.75±1.92-year-old) was characterized as normal weight (n=29), mild obesity (n=27) and severe obesity (n=33) groups. LEfSe analysis found that compared to subjects with severe obesity, subjects with mild obesity had more prevalent members of phylum Fusobacteria, genus Alistipes, and less members of genus Granulicatella and Clostridium (P<0.05). For subjects with mild obesity, Spearman’s correlation analysis revealed that fasting plasma glucose (FPG) positively correlated with phylum Tenericutes, genus Alistipes, Megamonas, Oscillospira, and lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP) positively correlated with phylum Fusobacteria, genus Oxalobacter, and negatively correlated with phylum Actinobacteria, genus Fusobacterium, Streptococcus, Veillonella. For subjects with severe obesity, FPG negatively correlated with genus Gemmiger and positively correlated with genus Paraprevotella, and LBP negatively correlated with phylum Actinobacteria, genus Adlercreutzia (all P<0.05). Metabolic pathway prediction analyzed by PICRUSt2 analysis discerned that the glucose metabolism pathway gluconeogenesis I was curtailed in severe obesity group.

Conclusion: The gut microbiota could favorably compensate glucose metabolism in children with obesity. Genus Haemophilus may influent glucose tolerance and insulin resistance in children with severe obesity.