Association Between Body Mass Index and Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes Ratio in an Adult Ukrainian Population

Overview

Journal BMC Microbiol

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Microbiology

Date 2017 May 24

PMID 28532414

Citations 425

Authors

Alexander Koliada

Ganna Syzenko

Vladislav Moseiko

Liudmyla Budovska

Kostiantyn Puchkov

Vyacheslav Perederiy

Yuriy Gavalko

Andriy Dorofeyev

Maryana Romanenko

Sergiy Tkach

Lyudmila Sineok

Oleh Lushchak

Alexander Vaiserman

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Metagenomic studies confirm that obesity is associated with a composition of gut microbiota. There are some controversies, however, about the composition of gut microbial communities in obese individuals in different populations. To examine the association between body mass index and microbiota composition in Ukrainian population, fecal concentrations of Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio were analyzed in 61 adult individuals.

Results: The relative abundance of Actinobacteria was small (5-7%) and comparable in different BMI categories. The content of Firmicutes was gradually increased while the content of Bacteroidetes was decreased with increasing body mass index (BMI). The F/B ratio also raised with increasing BMI. In an unadjusted logistic regression model, F/B ratio was significantly associated with BMI (OR = 1.23, 95% CI 1,09-1,38). This association continued to be significant after adjusting for confounders such as age, sex, tobacco smoking and physical activity (OR = 1.33, 95% CI 1,11-1,60).

Conclusions: The obtained data indicate that obese persons in Ukraine adult population have a significantly higher level of Firmicutes and lower level of Bacteroidetes compared to normal-weight and lean adults.

Citing Articles

Glucoraphanin conversion into sulforaphane and related compounds by gut microbiota.

Dmytriv T, Lushchak O, Lushchak V Front Physiol. 2025; 16:1497566.

PMID: 39995480 PMC: 11847849. DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1497566.

Berk Alleviated Atherosclerosis Symptoms via Nuclear Factor-Kappa B-Mediated Inflammatory Response in ApoE Mice.

Dong Y, Zhang Q, Xie R, Zhao J, Han Z, Li Y Nutrients. 2025; 17(1.

PMID: 39796594 PMC: 11722796. DOI: 10.3390/nu17010160.

Update on Hypothalamic Inflammation and Gliosis: Expanding Evidence of Relevance Beyond Obesity.

Huang A, Yeum D, Sewaybricker L, Aleksic S, Thomas M, Melhorn S Curr Obes Rep. 2025; 14(1):6.

PMID: 39775194 DOI: 10.1007/s13679-024-00595-8.

in the Faecal Microbiota Demonstrates a Direct Association with Arterial Hypertension in Individuals of the Kazakh Population Without Insulin Resistance.

Abildinova G, Vochshenkova T, Aitkaliyev A, Abildinova A, Benberin V, Borovikova A Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2025; 21(12.

PMID: 39767388 PMC: 11675478. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21121546.

In Vitro Evaluation of Probiotic Activities and Anti-Obesity Effects of EF-1 in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet.

Cai H, Wang Q, Han X, Zhang H, Wang N, Huang Y Foods. 2025; 13(24.

PMID: 39767037 PMC: 11675756. DOI: 10.3390/foods13244095.

References

Turnbaugh P, Gordon J . The core gut microbiome, energy balance and obesity. J Physiol. 2009; 587(Pt 17):4153-8. PMC: 2754355. DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2009.174136. View

Sweeney T, Morton J . The human gut microbiome: a review of the effect of obesity and surgically induced weight loss. JAMA Surg. 2013; 148(6):563-9. PMC: 4392891. DOI: 10.1001/jamasurg.2013.5. View

Gerard P . Gut microbiota and obesity. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2015; 73(1):147-62. PMC: 11108539. DOI: 10.1007/s00018-015-2061-5. View

Zhang B, Li M, Ma L, Wei F . A widely applicable protocol for DNA isolation from fecal samples. Biochem Genet. 2006; 44(11-12):503-12. DOI: 10.1007/s10528-006-9050-1. View

Kasai C, Sugimoto K, Moritani I, Tanaka J, Oya Y, Inoue H . Comparison of the gut microbiota composition between obese and non-obese individuals in a Japanese population, as analyzed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and next-generation sequencing. BMC Gastroenterol. 2015; 15:100. PMC: 4531509. DOI: 10.1186/s12876-015-0330-2. View

Ley R, Backhed F, Turnbaugh P, Lozupone C, Knight R, Gordon J . Obesity alters gut microbial ecology. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005; 102(31):11070-5. PMC: 1176910. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0504978102. View

Chassaing B, Gewirtz A . Has provoking microbiota aggression driven the obesity epidemic?. Bioessays. 2016; 38(2):122-8. DOI: 10.1002/bies.201500116. View

Turnbaugh P, Ley R, Mahowald M, Magrini V, Mardis E, Gordon J . An obesity-associated gut microbiome with increased capacity for energy harvest. Nature. 2006; 444(7122):1027-31. DOI: 10.1038/nature05414. View

Bakker G, Zhao J, Herrema H, Nieuwdorp M . Gut Microbiota and Energy Expenditure in Health and Obesity. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2015; 49 Suppl 1:S13-9. DOI: 10.1097/MCG.0000000000000363. View

10.

Mathur R, Barlow G . Obesity and the microbiome. Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2015; 9(8):1087-99. DOI: 10.1586/17474124.2015.1051029. View

11.

Rial S, Karelis A, Bergeron K, Mounier C . Gut Microbiota and Metabolic Health: The Potential Beneficial Effects of a Medium Chain Triglyceride Diet in Obese Individuals. Nutrients. 2016; 8(5). PMC: 4882694. DOI: 10.3390/nu8050281. View

12.

den Besten G, van Eunen K, Groen A, Venema K, Reijngoud D, Bakker B . The role of short-chain fatty acids in the interplay between diet, gut microbiota, and host energy metabolism. J Lipid Res. 2013; 54(9):2325-40. PMC: 3735932. DOI: 10.1194/jlr.R036012. View

13.

Schwiertz A, Taras D, Schafer K, Beijer S, Bos N, Donus C . Microbiota and SCFA in lean and overweight healthy subjects. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2009; 18(1):190-5. DOI: 10.1038/oby.2009.167. View

14.

Hills A, Mokhtar N, Byrne N . Assessment of physical activity and energy expenditure: an overview of objective measures. Front Nutr. 2015; 1:5. PMC: 4428382. DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2014.00005. View

15.

Duncan S, Lobley G, Holtrop G, Ince J, Johnstone A, Louis P . Human colonic microbiota associated with diet, obesity and weight loss. Int J Obes (Lond). 2008; 32(11):1720-4. DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2008.155. View

16.

Million M, Angelakis E, Maraninchi M, Henry M, Giorgi R, Valero R . Correlation between body mass index and gut concentrations of Lactobacillus reuteri, Bifidobacterium animalis, Methanobrevibacter smithii and Escherichia coli. Int J Obes (Lond). 2013; 37(11):1460-6. PMC: 3826031. DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2013.20. View

17.

Festi D, Schiumerini R, Eusebi L, Marasco G, Taddia M, Colecchia A . Gut microbiota and metabolic syndrome. World J Gastroenterol. 2014; 20(43):16079-94. PMC: 4239493. DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i43.16079. View

18.

Karlsson C, Onnerfalt J, Xu J, Molin G, Ahrne S, Thorngren-Jerneck K . The microbiota of the gut in preschool children with normal and excessive body weight. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2012; 20(11):2257-61. DOI: 10.1038/oby.2012.110. View

19.

Ismail N, Ragab S, Elbaky A, Shoeib A, Alhosary Y, Fekry D . Frequency of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes in gut microbiota in obese and normal weight Egyptian children and adults. Arch Med Sci. 2012; 7(3):501-7. PMC: 3258740. DOI: 10.5114/aoms.2011.23418. View

20.

Ignacio A, Fernandes M, Rodrigues V, Groppo F, Cardoso A, Avila-Campos M . Correlation between body mass index and faecal microbiota from children. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2015; 22(3):258.e1-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2015.10.031. View