Research

Mixed

Higher relative abundance of the gut microbial genus Blautia is significantly and inversely associated with visceral fat area (VFA) in adults, regardless of sex.

Visceral fat is linked to the abundance of Blautia bacteria in your gut. While you cannot directly 'dose' Blautia like a supplement, this genus produces beneficial short-chain fatty acids (butyrate, acetate). Supporting Blautia likely involves a diet rich in diverse fibers, as fiber intake was a key variable in the study's adjustments. Focus on whole-food, high-fiber diets to support a microbiome profile associated with lower visceral fat.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Blautia was the only gut microbe significantly and inversely associated with VFA, regardless of sex.
Naoki Ozato et al. · npj Biofilms and Microbiomes · 2019

Why this rating

Large cross-sectional observational study (n=1001) with replication in a confirmation group, but causality cannot be established.

Source

Blautia genus associated with visceral fat accumulation in adults 20–76 years of age

Naoki Ozato et al. · npj Biofilms and Microbiomes · 2019

DOI 10.1038/s41522-019-0101-x

cross_sectional · n=1001Cited 432×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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