Gut microbiota composition of lean and obese Lebanese individuals

An altered gut microbiota has been shown to contribute to the development of metabolic diseases such as obesity. In this study gut microbiota profile of 30 obese and 23 lean Lebanese individuals was performed via DNA isolation and sequencing of the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA of faecal samples. The abundance of the phylum Verrucomicrobiota was higher in lean subjects and there was no significant difference in the Bacillota/ Bacteroidota ratio between the obese and lean groups. The evenness and Shannon alpha diversity indices were significantly higher in the lean group than in the obese group (q = 0.012 and q = 0.030, respectively). Beta diversity was higher in the obese group based for unweighted uniFrac distance variability (q = 0.047). Lachnoclostridium was the only genus that was higher in obese (q = 0.013) and it is linked to diet induced obesity, while the abundance of the genera Peptococcus, Ruminococcus_2, Lachnospiraceae UCG-001, Ruminiclostridium 6, the uncharacterised taxon within Coriobacteriaceae, Ruminococcaceae UCG-005, Ruminococcaceae UCG-010 and Oxalobacter, were significantly higher in lean subjects. These bacterial species that were higher in lean people, possess anti-inflammatory properties through the production of short chain fatty acids and are linked with lower body mass index, promote satiety and weight loss and may play a role in the protection against obesity and type 2 diabetes. Further research to generate a clear understanding of the interaction of the gut microbiota and health is needed.