Gastrointestinal systems

Research: The gut microbiome changes throughout the day and with the seasons

Half of the cells in your body are not human. And a new study suggests that many of the critical factors for your health oscillate by the hour, day, and even season.

The human body contains about 40 trillion bacteria, viruses, and fungi. This creates a microbiome that roughly matches the number of human cells, said researcher Dr. Amir Zarrinpar, assistant professor of gastroenterology at the University of California, San Diego.

His team found that the microbes in the gut microbiome are constantly changing throughout the day. They even change with the seasons.

“These findings offer important insights into the role of the variable gut microbiome,” Zarrinpar said during a media briefing.

“They could potentially explain why we are predisposed to seasonal diseases and whether the microbiome prepares us for that. Not only that, they can influence how researchers study the microbiome and how our research might be influenced by these variations in the microbiome.”

Реклама biskviti za deca

Research

Zarrinpar is to present the findings on May 7 at a meeting in Chicago. Findings presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

For the study, Zarrinpar and his colleagues reviewed data for about 20,000 stool samples. They were collected as part of a global effort to research the microbiome called the American Gut Project.

The researchers looked at the specific time, date, and location of each sample. They used this data to determine how much the composition of the gut microbiome can vary. The researchers found that nearly 60% of related bacterial groups fluctuate with different 24-hour cycles.

“We don’t have a clear reason for what contributes to these daily fluctuations, but we assume that diet and sleep are probably the main contributors to this,” Zarrinpar said.

“This is probably because the gut environment is radically different in terms of nutrient and water availability and pH when the person is asleep, compared to after they have breakfast.”

Seasonal fluctuations were even more pronounced. Certain types of bacteria followed one of two different patterns over the course of a year.

For example, a family of bacteria called proteobacteria consistently dropped to low levels during the winter. Then it consistently increased to a peak in the summer, Zarrinpar said.

“What really surprised us is the seasonal variation. We didn’t expect the seasons to have such a huge effect,” he noted.

“While this has been observed in hunter-gatherer societies in Africa, it has not been reported in industrialized countries,” Zarrinpar continued. “To find an effect that was much more pronounced than the daily variation really surprised us.”

Implications

Seasonal fluctuations may be influenced by location, climate, pollen, humidity, and other environmental factors, he suggested. These findings could offer a potential explanation for why people are more susceptible to colds and flu during certain seasons, as it is known that the microbiome affects the immune response.

The fluctuating microbiome also plays a role in how drugs are metabolized. Therefore, it may change the results of clinical trials, Zarrinpar pointed out.

“As doctors and as scientists, we always wonder why certain patients respond to some drugs better than others. I think in terms of conducting clinical trials, it’s important to remember that, especially if there is a broad, multi-year study, there may be seasonal variations in response to the drug,” he said.

“An interesting thing we thought about is that patients’ responses to the Covid vaccine differ based on what time of day they received the vaccine,” Zarrinpar added.”

Please note that this translation is provided for understanding purposes and may not be perfect. If you need an official translation, it’s best to consult a professional translation service.

Show More
бисквити за бебе
Back to top button