(P20-031-23) Gut Microbiome Community Types Associate With Nutritional and Behavioral Factors in a Longitudinal Assessment of Dormitory-Housed College Freshman

Objectives: The gut microbiome is expected to correspond with multiple health features during late-stage adolescence, influenced by moderating factors including diet, physical activity, weight status, and age. Here we explore potential drivers of gut microbiome community type and latent structure in individuals that gained (WG), lost (WL), or maintained (WM) body weight during the freshman year of college.

Methods: This longitudinal study tracked a cohort of 139 first-year college students in residence halls who were grouped for microbiome analysis by WG (n=67), WL (n=13), and WM (n=59) classification based on their 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. To assess Prevotella and Bacteroides over time, we analyzed their ratio, bimodality, and trend of state transition. The community type of each participant sample at the genus level was surveyed via latent Dirichlet allocation probabilistic modeling. Associations between predictor variables (anthropometric, dietary, and behavioral factors) and community types were assessed using Dirichlet regression models.

Results: The Prevotella/Bacteroides ratio was significantly different by weight change category (P < 0.05), with WL participants displaying an increased ratio. Prevotella had moderate support for bimodality (prediction strength index = 0.71), supporting that this microbe was much less abundant across individuals. Both genera did not display co-dominance or ease of transition between Prevotella- and Bacteroides-dominated states. A total of 30 latent community structures were present within the cohort’s microbiome with significant associations with waist circumference, sleep, and dietary factors, of which alcohol consumption (FDR < 0.05) was most prominent among community types.

Conclusions: This longitudinal study underscores latent community structure in the gut microbiome and its relationship with nutritional and behavioral factors of adolescents of three weight change trajectories in a college setting. Adolescence may afford an opportunity for targeted microbiome inventions.

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