Circulating Short-Chain Fatty Acids Are Positively Associated with Adiposity Measures in Chinese Adults

Abstract

Epidemiological studies suggest a positive association between obesity and fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced by microbial fermentation of dietary carbohydrates, while animal models suggest increased energy harvest through colonic SCFA production in obesity. However, there is a lack of human population-based studies with dietary intake data, plasma SCFAs, gut microbial, and anthropometric data. In 490 Chinese adults aged 30–68 years, we examined the associations between key plasma SCFAs (butyrate/isobutyrate, isovalerate, and valerate measured by non-targeted plasma metabolomics) with body mass index (BMI) using multivariable-adjusted linear regression. We then assessed whether overweight (BMI ≥ 24 kg/m2) modified the association between dietary-precursors of SCFAs (insoluble fiber, total carbohydrates, and high-fiber foods) with plasma SCFAs. In a sub-sample (n = 209) with gut metagenome data, we examined the association between gut microbial SCFA-producers with BMI. We found positive associations between butyrate/isobutyrate and BMI (p-value < 0.05). The associations between insoluble fiber and butyrate/isobutyrate differed by overweight (p-value < 0.10). There was no statistical evidence for an association between microbial SCFA-producers and BMI. In sum, plasma SCFAs were positively associated with BMI and that the colonic fermentation of fiber may differ for adults with versus without overweight.

Exosome-Enriched Plasma Analysis as a Tool for the Early Detection of Hypertensive Gestations

“…Increased levels of plasma lipoproteins, especially those carrying non-coding microRNAs, can contribute to cellular signaling and have the potential to mediate the crosstalk within the cardiovascular system ( Li et al, 2018 ). It is known that the biosynthesis of fatty acids and cholesterols uses large amounts of energy, in turn requiring a large amount of acetyl-CoA, ATP, and oxygen, whereas hypoxia-derived exosomes tend to promote lipid accumulation ( Wang et al, 2020 ). As such, the altered levels of acetyl-CoA, CoA, sphingomyelin, and phospholipids on HPD may reflect the exacerbated production of membrane components and carriers, resulting in the accumulation of fatty acids and the dysregulation of exosome communication leading to poor vascularization and hypertension.…”

Gut Microbiota-Derived Metabolites in the Development of Diseases

“…Dietary fibers but also proteins and peptides, which escape digestion from host enzymes in the upper gut, are metabolized by the microbiota in the cecum and colon [ 10 ]. Short-chain fatty acids are the metabolites of dietary fibers metabolized by intestinal microorganisms [ 11 ]. Protein fermentation can also contribute to the SCFAs pool but mostly gives rise to branched-chain fatty acids such as isobutyrate, 2-methylbutyrate, and isovalerate exclusively originating from branched-chain amino acids valine, isoleucine, and leucine [ 12 ].…”

Anti-Inflammatory Function of Fatty Acids and Involvement of Their Metabolites in the Resolution of Inflammation in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

“…This can lead to changes in the production of SCFAs and their resulting effects. Plasma levels of butyrate/isobutyrate have been shown to be related to BMI [ 276 ]. An increase in BMI is accompanied by an increase in plasma butyrate/isobutyrate concentrations [ 276 ].…”

“…Plasma levels of butyrate/isobutyrate have been shown to be related to BMI [ 276 ]. An increase in BMI is accompanied by an increase in plasma butyrate/isobutyrate concentrations [ 276 ]. The results of low-fat/high-fiber diet experiments on a pig model showed increased production of SCFAs, especially butyrate by beneficial bacteria.…”

“…It should be noted that there are associations between dietary precursors of SCFAs and the quantitative composition of plasma SCFAs. These relationships may be due to the fact that different sources of fermentable fiber can be differentially utilized by different composition of the gut microflora [ 276 , 281 , 282 ]. It has been shown that a diet high in fiber attenuated emphysema by suppressing airway inflammation.…”