Gut Bacteria Can Be Used to Diagnose Type 2 Diabetes
Written By: Pimtawan Jatupornpakdee
July 15, 2020
The circadian rhythm or “body clock” regulates our sleep cycles. It is in charge of our sleep pattern, alertness, temperature, and blood pressure. Aside from managing our light and food accessibility, it also regulates our internal metabolic processes. Since the circadian rhythm is a significant part in human health, long-term disruption to the circadian rhythm would bring various consequences.
Some possible side effects of circadian disruption are obesity and type 2 diabetes. Researchers have found a link between circadian disruption and insulin resistance. Additionally, a new research in Cell Host & Microbe discovered that diabetes is related to the changes in the daily rhythm of the gut microbiome. A microbiome is a community of bacteria, viruses, and fungi that live in and on humans. Studies show that the community of gut bacteria fluctuates throughout the day, similar to other circadian processes. Some researchers believe that disruption to the regular rhythm of gut bacteria fluctuation would cause metabolic disorders connecting the circadian rhythm to diabetes.
For further investigation, the team analyzed the microbiomes of 2,000 people for 24 hours. The team performed tests and used these results in order to confirm regular oscillation of gut bacteria. Then, they focused their study on people with metabolic disorders such as obesity, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes. Unlike the control group, the people with metabolic disorders lost their rhythmic patterns in gut bacteria, and there were also other specific changes to the gut bacteria.
The team collected their data from 2,039 people. From this data, they spotted specific changes to the microbiome that could be used to detect type 2 diabetes. The team found 13 types of bacteria that didn’t transform during the day like other gut bacteria. They then used these bacteria to modify a mathematical model to measure whether a person has type 2 diabetes. Afterwards, the researchers tested this model on a total of 699 people. The model proved to be effective for diagnosing people with type 2 diabetes. Surprisingly, it can also detect whether a person is at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Although these findings show a clear association between the fluctuation in the microbiome and type 2 diabetes, they did not explain why the two are connected. Researchers tried to answer the questions by relating them to changes in metabolism and found that 26 metabolic pathways are associated with the lack of microbial rhythm, moreover, 19 of these pathways are found in people with type 2 diabetes. These pathways are also known for their sensitivity to insulin. This suggests that disruption in the microbiome can be connected to diabetes, yet there is still no evidence to confirm that it can cause diabetes. Even though the researchers are not able to fully understand this linkage yet, the study does suggest a new way to diagnose and predict diabetes.
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