Childhood Obesity: Characterization of the Stool Microbiome in Hispanic Preschool Children by Weight Status and Time

Background: Variations in gut microbiota composition and diversity have been associated with childhood adiposity, although most studies describing this have been cross-sectional in nature. Our objective was to evaluate associations between body weight and the gut microbiota over time in obese preschool-age children.

Methods: Obese, preschool-age, Hispanic children provided stool samples at baseline and following a 6-month behavioral intervention. Normal-weight (NW) children also provided stool samples. Stool microbial community composition was characterized using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Estimates of within-sample diversity were calculated on operational taxonomic unit (OTU) count data, and the Firmicutes: Bacteroidetes (F: B) ratio was determined on a per-sample basis. Estimates of between-sample diversity were generated using the weighted Unifrac metric, differential abundances were evaluated using Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, and associations of microbiome features with clinical data were quantified using Spearman rank correlations.

Results: For the 30 obese children sampled preintervention and postintervention, a decrease in body mass index (BMI) z-score from 2.55 to 2.34 (p = 0.004, paired t-test) was observed. Bacteroides massiliensis was significantly enriched in obese children, while B. plebius was significantly enriched in NW controls. We identified significant correlations between multiple Bacteroides-like OTUs and BMI z-score, but neither F: B ratios nor OTU-level abundances were altered in conjunction with weight change in obese children. Rather, highly individualized OTU-level responses were observed.

Conclusions: Although differences exist between the gut microbiota of obese and NW children, we detected highly individualized responses of the gut microbiota of obese children over time and following weight loss.