Introduction: Perturbance in the composition of human gut microbiota has been associated with metabolic disorders such as obesity, diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance. The objectives of this study are to examine the effects of ethnicity, central obesity and dietary components, on the human gut microbiome. The investigators hypothesize that these factors have an influence on the composition of the gut microbiome.~Methods: Subjects of Chinese (n=14), Malay (n=10) or Indian (n=11) ancestry, median age 39 (range:22-70 years old), were enrolled. The subjects provided stool samples for gut microbiome profiling using 16S rRNA sequencing and completed a dietary questionnaire. The serum samples were assayed for a panel of biomarkers (Interleukin-6, tumour necrosis factor alpha, adiponectin, cleaved cytokeratin 18, lipopolysaccharide binding protein and limulus amebocyte lysate). Central obesity was defined by waist circumference cut-offs in Asians.
The objectives of this study are to examine the effects of ethnicity, central obesity and dietary components, on the human gut microbiome. The investigators hypothesize that these factors have an influence on the composition of the gut microbiome. Healthy subjects (n=35) provided stool samples for gut microbiome profiling using 16S rRNA sequencing and completed a dietary questionnaire. The serum samples were assayed for a panel of inflammatory cytokines. Their associations with central obesity were examined.