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Topical Area: Nutritional Microbiology/Microbiome

Nutritional Microbiology/Microbiome (Poster Session)

(P20-052-23) The Gut Microbiome Tracks With Shifts in Body Weight During the Freshman Year of College in Dormitory-Housed Adolescents

Sunday, July 23, 2023
11:45 AM – 12:45 PM ET
Location: Poster Board 471
Disclosure(s):
Corrie M. Whisner, PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Alex E. Mohr, PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.


Objectives: Gut microbial community evolution occurs throughout important developmental periods including adolescence and the transition to college, a typical life phase of weight gain. The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in body weight and related nutritional and behavioral outcomes over the freshman year of college in relation to gut microbiome diversity, keystone taxa, and variability.

Methods: This longitudinal study was part of the Social impact of Physical Activity and nutRition in College (SPARC) study, which analyzed relationships between lifestyle factors, weight outcomes, and the social networks of first-year college students in residence halls. The study cohort was grouped for microbiome analysis by weight gain (WG), weight loss (WL), and weight maintenance (WM) classification based on their longitudinal body weight change category. Serial stool samples (2-3 per participant) were sequenced via amplification of the 16S rRNA gene (V4 region) of the bacterial genome. Diversity metrics were calculated and analyzed as were microbial shifts and measures of variance at the genus taxonomic level.

Results: At baseline, WG (n=67), WL (n=13), and WM (n=59) participants did not differ in anthropometric, dietary, or behavioral factors (P>0.05). Over the academic year, beta diversity metrics revealed shifts with substantial variation explained by individual effects within weight change categories (P < 0.05). Genera that positively contributed to these associations with weight change included Bacteroides, Blautia, and Bifidobacterium in WG participants and Prevotella and Faecalibacterium in WL and WM participants (model coefficients, P < 0.05). Assessment of taxonomic variation revealed increased stability of the WL compared to the WG microbiome (P < 0.05).

Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of initial gut microbiome community structure and the relationship with nutritional and behavioral factors in college students during a period of major lifestyle changes. Further work is needed to confirm these findings and explore mechanistic relationships between gut microbes and weight gain in free-living individuals.

Funding Sources: NIH Common Fund from the Office of the Director and the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research