TY - JOUR
T1 - Changes in Weight Status and the Intestinal Microbiota Among College Freshman, Aged 18 Years
AU - Journey, Elizabeth K.
AU - Ortega-Santos, Carmen P.
AU - Bruening, Meg
AU - Whisner, Corrie M.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by the NIH Common Fund from the Office of the Director and the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research , grant number 1DP5OD017910 (Principal Investigator: M.B.).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019
PY - 2020/2
Y1 - 2020/2
N2 - Purpose: The transition to college is a vulnerable period for weight gain and the onset of obesity. Gut microbes differ in obese compared with lean individuals, but gut microbiota in adolescent-aged college freshmen during a known period of weight gain have never been studied. This pre–post observational pilot study assessed associations between intestinal microbiota changes and weight-related outcomes in healthy adolescent college freshmen living in on-campus dormitories at Arizona State University (n = 39). Methods: We measured anthropometrics (waist circumference [WC], height, weight, and body mass index [BMI]) and collected fecal samples at the beginning and end of the 2015–2016 academic year. Fold changes in species-level microbes across time were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and used in correlation and multivariate regression analyses. Results: A total of 24 female and 15 male adolescents (aged 18.54 ± .67 years) participated in this study. Over the academic year, BMI and WC increased by .97±1.28 kg/m2 and 2.64±4.90 cm, respectively. Correlation analyses indicated a significant negative association between Akkermansia muciniphila and both percentage WC change and percentage BMI change (r = −.66, p < .01; and r = −.33, p = .04, respectively). Multivariate regression analysis controlling for sociodemographics showed a significant association between A. muciniphila and percentage WC change, but not percentage BMI change (R2 = .53, p < .01; and R2 = .24, p = .15, respectively). Conclusions: As this was the first study in a university-based adolescent population to show a relationship between A. muciniphila and weight-related outcomes, further research is needed to explore these findings.
AB - Purpose: The transition to college is a vulnerable period for weight gain and the onset of obesity. Gut microbes differ in obese compared with lean individuals, but gut microbiota in adolescent-aged college freshmen during a known period of weight gain have never been studied. This pre–post observational pilot study assessed associations between intestinal microbiota changes and weight-related outcomes in healthy adolescent college freshmen living in on-campus dormitories at Arizona State University (n = 39). Methods: We measured anthropometrics (waist circumference [WC], height, weight, and body mass index [BMI]) and collected fecal samples at the beginning and end of the 2015–2016 academic year. Fold changes in species-level microbes across time were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and used in correlation and multivariate regression analyses. Results: A total of 24 female and 15 male adolescents (aged 18.54 ± .67 years) participated in this study. Over the academic year, BMI and WC increased by .97±1.28 kg/m2 and 2.64±4.90 cm, respectively. Correlation analyses indicated a significant negative association between Akkermansia muciniphila and both percentage WC change and percentage BMI change (r = −.66, p < .01; and r = −.33, p = .04, respectively). Multivariate regression analysis controlling for sociodemographics showed a significant association between A. muciniphila and percentage WC change, but not percentage BMI change (R2 = .53, p < .01; and R2 = .24, p = .15, respectively). Conclusions: As this was the first study in a university-based adolescent population to show a relationship between A. muciniphila and weight-related outcomes, further research is needed to explore these findings.
KW - Adolescents
KW - Microbiota
KW - Obesity
KW - Students
KW - Waist circumference
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.06.005
DO - 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.06.005
M3 - Article
C2 - 31477511
AN - SCOPUS:85071516304
VL - 66
SP - 166
EP - 171
JO - Journal of Adolescent Health
JF - Journal of Adolescent Health
SN - 1054-139X
IS - 2
ER -