Associations Between Gut Microbiome Enterotypes and Body Weight Change During Whole Milk Consumption.

Individuals with the Bacteroides1 (B1) enterotype exhibited decreases in body weight during one month of whole milk consumption, while those with the Ruminococcaceae (R) enterotype did not.

• The B1 enterotype group included n = 24 individuals and the R enterotype group included n = 38 individuals.
• Participants were men with abdominal adiposity who replaced habitual dairy product consumption with 400 g/day of whole milk for one month.
• Body weight change differed significantly between enterotype groups, with enterotype identified as a strong predictor (p = 0.0034) in multiple linear regression analysis.
• This was a post hoc analysis of data from a previously published trial.

Enterotype was identified as a strong predictor of body weight change during whole milk consumption.

• Multiple linear regression analysis identified enterotype as a strong predictor of body weight change with p = 0.0034.
• The analysis compared outcomes between the two most prevalent enterotypes: Bacteroides1 (B1, n = 24) and Ruminococcaceae (R, n = 38).
• The analysis controlled for other variables in the regression model.

Individuals with the B1 enterotype, but not the R enterotype, showed decreases in the relative abundance of Streptococcus thermophilus during the milk intervention.

• Streptococcus thermophilus is a bacterial species commonly found in dairy products including whole milk.
• This change in microbial composition was specific to the B1 enterotype group.
• Gut microbiome composition was assessed using shotgun metagenomic sequencing at the beginning and end of the one-month lead-in phase.

Urinary taurine level change was positively associated with body weight change in B1 individuals but not in R individuals.

• This association was enterotype-specific, observed only in the B1 group (n = 24) and not in the R group (n = 38).
• Urinary metabolites were measured at the beginning and end of the one-month lead-in phase.
• Fecal metabolites were also assessed alongside urinary metabolites and gut microbiome composition and function.

The study design involved men with abdominal adiposity consuming 400 g/day of whole milk for one month as a replacement for habitual dairy product consumption.

• This was a post hoc analysis using data from a previously published trial.
• The intervention phase examined was described as a 'lead-in phase' of the original trial.
• Outcomes assessed included body weight, urinary metabolites, fecal metabolites, and gut microbiome composition and function.
• Gut microbiome was characterized using shotgun metagenomic sequencing.

The findings reveal an enterotype-specific response to an identical dietary modification, underscoring the value of integrating enterotype information into nutrition-intervention design and personalized nutrition strategies.

• Two distinct enterotypes (B1 and R) showed divergent responses to the same dietary intervention.
• The B1 and R enterotypes were the two most prevalent enterotypes in the study population.
• The authors conclude this finding has implications for personalized nutrition strategies.