The Microbiota of the Gut in Preschool Children With Normal and Excessive Body Weight

The aim of this study was to investigate the gut microbiota in preschool children with and without overweight andobesity. Twenty overweight or obese children and twenty children with BMI within the normal range (age: 4–5 years)were recruited from the south of Sweden. The gut microbiota was accessed by quantitative PCR (qPCR) and terminalrestriction fragment length polymorphism and calprotectin was measured in feces. Liver enzymes were quantifiedin obese/overweight children. The concentration of the gram-negative family Enterobacteriaceae was significantlyhigher in the obese/overweight children (P = 0.036), whereas levels of Desulfovibrio and Akkermansia muciniphilalikebacteria were significantly lower in the... (More)

The aim of this study was to investigate the gut microbiota in preschool children with and without overweight andobesity. Twenty overweight or obese children and twenty children with BMI within the normal range (age: 4–5 years)were recruited from the south of Sweden. The gut microbiota was accessed by quantitative PCR (qPCR) and terminalrestriction fragment length polymorphism and calprotectin was measured in feces. Liver enzymes were quantifiedin obese/overweight children. The concentration of the gram-negative family Enterobacteriaceae was significantlyhigher in the obese/overweight children (P = 0.036), whereas levels of Desulfovibrio and Akkermansia muciniphilalikebacteria were significantly lower in the obese/overweight children (P = 0.027 and P = 0.030, respectively). Nosignificant differences were found in content of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium or the Bacteroides fragilis group.The diversity of the dominating bacterial community tended to be less diverse in the obese/overweight group, butthe difference was not statistically significant. Concentration of Bifidobacterium was inversely correlated to alanineaminotransferase (ALT) in obese/overweight children. The fecal levels of calprotectin did not differ between the studygroups. These findings indicate that the gut microbiota differed among preschool children with obesity/overweightcompared with children with BMI within the normal range. (Less)

@article{29c959b8-4850-43fc-9e10-d2b16f3f55ca,
abstract = {The aim of this study was to investigate the gut microbiota in preschool children with and without overweight and<br/>obesity. Twenty overweight or obese children and twenty children with BMI within the normal range (age: 4–5 years)<br/>were recruited from the south of Sweden. The gut microbiota was accessed by quantitative PCR (qPCR) and terminal<br/>restriction fragment length polymorphism and calprotectin was measured in feces. Liver enzymes were quantified<br/>in obese/overweight children. The concentration of the gram-negative family Enterobacteriaceae was significantly<br/>higher in the obese/overweight children (P = 0.036), whereas levels of Desulfovibrio and Akkermansia muciniphilalike<br/>bacteria were significantly lower in the obese/overweight children (P = 0.027 and P = 0.030, respectively). No<br/>significant differences were found in content of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium or the Bacteroides fragilis group.<br/>The diversity of the dominating bacterial community tended to be less diverse in the obese/overweight group, but<br/>the difference was not statistically significant. Concentration of Bifidobacterium was inversely correlated to alanine<br/>aminotransferase (ALT) in obese/overweight children. The fecal levels of calprotectin did not differ between the study<br/>groups. These findings indicate that the gut microbiota differed among preschool children with obesity/overweight<br/>compared with children with BMI within the normal range.},
author = {Linninge, Caroline and Önnerfält, Jenny and Xu, Jie and Molin, Göran and Ahrné, Siv and Thorngren-Jerneck, Kristina},
issn = {1930-739X},
language = {eng},
number = {11},
pages = {2257--2261},
publisher = {Nature Publishing Group},
series = {Obesity},
title = {The Microbiota of the Gut in Preschool Children With Normal and Excessive Body Weight},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/oby.2012.110},
volume = {20},
year = {2012},
}