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What does the microbiome have to do with type 2 diabetes?
In a 2017 study, the microbiomes of people with type 2 diabetes and health controls were compared.The top five frequently produced metabolites for (a) healthy controls, and (b) people with type 2 diabetes are shown below.
Additional Information:
A metabolite is a by-product or end-product of metabolism, the breaking down of food.
“Fraction of entities” on the y-axis refers to the number of microbes producing the metabolite. In healthy controls, almost .8 (or 80%) of the microbial population is producing Acetate, and 44% of the microbes are producing Butyrate.
Acetate, Propionate, and Butyrate are all Short Chain Fatty Acids that benefit the health of the gut. Lactate can help produce Butyrate and is also helpful to the gut.
CO2 (carbon dioxide) and ethanol (an alcohol) are produced by bacterial fermentation.
- NH3 (ammonia) and H2S (hydrogen sulfate) can be produced by protein fermentation and are known to be detrimental to health.
Remember the rainforest, and the complexity and inter-connectedness of the ecosystem?
Click on the metabolic interaction network of the gut microbiome (on left) from the study referenced above. Memorize the network. (Just kidding.)
The orange dots represent microbes found in the guts of people with type 2 diabetes, and the blue dots represent microbes from healthy controls.
Use this network picture to answer questions on the Student Handout.
Do you have more questions about the network? Check out the Teacher Notes for possible answers.
Use Student Handout The Microbiome: Food, Fiber, and Fitness to answer questions as you progress through each step.
Use Student Handout The Microbiome: Food, Fiber, and Fitness to answer questions as you progress through each step.
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