Mixed
Geographic origin is a stronger determinant of gut microbiota composition than BMI or gender, and the previously hypothesized increase in Firmicutes with obesity is not universal across all populations.
Do not assume that microbiota-based interventions (like probiotics or specific fiber targets) will work identically across all ethnic or geographic groups. Your geographic origin and diet history likely shape your gut bacteria more than your weight does. Personalized approaches must account for baseline microbial differences between populations.
the geographic origin of the population explained more variance in the composition of this bacterial community than BMI or gender... in Colombians we found a tendency in Firmicutes to diminish with increasing BMI, whereas no change was observed in Bacteroidetes.
Why this rating
Cross-sectional observational study with a small sample size (n=30 for the primary Colombian cohort) and reliance on public datasets for comparison; pilot study nature acknowledged by authors.
Source
The gut microbiota of Colombians differs from that of Americans, Europeans and Asians
Juan S. Escobar et al. · BMC Microbiology · 2014
DOI 10.1186/s12866-014-0311-6
Related findings · Mixed
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