Prevotella copri, a gut bacterium involved in the production of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), appears more frequently in the intestines of individuals with diabetes. When BCAA levels in the bloodstream stay elevated over time, the likelihood of obesity and type 2 diabetes rises compared with people who have normal BCAA levels. This finding comes from a large collaborative study led by researchers at MIT and Harvard, and the results were published in Nature Medicine (NatMed).
Researchers examined the gut microbiome compositions of adults with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), those with prediabetes, and individuals with normal glycemic status. Participants were recruited across multiple countries, including the United States, Israel, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, France, and China. The researchers assessed colon health by analyzing stool samples to understand microbial communities in the gut.
The study demonstrates that distinct gut bacteria can carry out specific functions, such as synthesizing amino acids, that may influence diabetes risk. In particular, Prevotella copri was found more commonly in the gut microbiomes of people with diabetes and is known for its capacity to produce significant amounts of BCAAs. Earlier work has linked chronically high BCAA concentrations in the blood to an increased risk of obesity and diabetes, suggesting a potential mechanistic link between gut microbes and metabolic disease.
Additionally, bacteriophages, the viruses that infect bacteria, can modify the composition and function of gut bacteria. These viral-bacterial interactions may indirectly alter an individual’s susceptibility to diabetes by reshaping metabolic pathways within the microbiome.
Researchers acknowledge that further investigation is needed to clarify the precise routes by which bacteriophages and their bacterial hosts influence health outcomes. The findings point to potential interventions aimed at the gut ecosystem, including dietary adjustments, fecal microbiota transplantation, or probiotic therapies, as possible ways to modulate diabetes risk through microbial changes.
The study highlights the importance of viewing metabolic health through the lens of the gut ecosystem, recognizing that microbial communities contribute to the body’s energy balance and metabolic signaling in ways that can either promote or protect against diabetes. This work adds to a growing body of evidence that gut microbes play a meaningful role in metabolic diseases and that manipulating the microbiome could become part of preventive or therapeutic strategies in the future.