Research

Mixed

Higher relative abundance of Oscillospira members in the fecal microbiome is significantly associated with lower visceral fat mass, suggesting a protective role against cardio-metabolic risk.

Focus on reducing visceral fat through lifestyle changes, as specific gut bacteria (like Oscillospira) are strongly linked to lower visceral fat levels. While your genetics influence your baseline microbiome, the association with visceral fat suggests that managing abdominal adiposity may positively influence your gut microbial profile, potentially lowering cardio-metabolic risk.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Most of these results involve visceral fat associations, with the strongest associations between visceral fat and Oscillospira members... OTUs within Oscillospira... all showed negative associations with VFM and AGR, suggesting a potential protective role for these bacteria in cardiovascular risk
Michelle Beaumont et al. · Genome biology · 2016

Why this rating

Large sample size (3666 twins), robust replication across three independent cohorts, and stringent statistical thresholds (Bonferroni).

Source

Heritable components of the human fecal microbiome are associated with visceral fat

Michelle Beaumont et al. · Genome biology · 2016

DOI 10.1186/s13059-016-1052-7

cohort · n=3666Cited 245×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →