Urban food habits rewriting gut microbiome in India, says study, Pg11

Key Highlights:

• A three-year study revealed that urban food habits are significantly altering the gut microbiome in India.
• This change in gut bacteria is linked to the rising rates of non-communicable diseases like diabetes, obesity, and hypertension among urban Indians.
• The study, published in Gut Microbes, established the first reference database of the gut microbiome across South Asia.
• Researchers from Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow, and the University of Chicago led this collaborative work.
• India currently has the second-largest burden of diabetes globally, with an estimated 89.8 million adults affected as of 2024.

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Detailed Insights:

• The research involved sampling 575 adults from 10 communities across India and Sri Lanka to profile their gut bacteria.
• India provided a unique setting to compare genetically similar rural and urban populations with distinct dietary environments.
• The bacterium Megamonas, associated with obesity and high blood glucose, was found to be more abundant in urban individuals due to dietary shifts.
• Conversely, Holdemanella, linked to fiber intake and glucose tolerance, was observed to decline with urbanization, except where traditional diets were maintained.
• The study highlighted that food processing, rather than meat consumption, is a primary driver of urban dietary changes impacting the gut microbiome.
• The International Diabetes Federation projects India's diabetes cases to increase by 75% to 156.7 million by 2050.
• The ongoing research phase involves metabolomics to identify specific molecules produced by these bacteria and link them to particular diseases.

Scientific/Technical Concepts Involved:

• Gut Microbiome: The complex community of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses, residing in the human digestive tract.
• Metabolomics: The comprehensive study of metabolites, which are small molecules produced during metabolic processes, to understand biological systems.
• Genome Sequencing: The process of determining the complete DNA sequence of an organism's genome to understand genetic makeup.
• Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs): Chronic diseases like diabetes, obesity, and hypertension that are not infectious and cannot be spread from person to person.