Dietary lignans, plasma enterolactone levels, and metabolic risk in men: exploring the role of the gut microbiome

• Published in: BMC microbiology 2022-03, Vol.22 (1), p.82-82, Article 82
• Main Authors: Li, Yanping, Wang, Fenglei, Li, Jun, Ivey, Kerry L, Wilkinson, Jeremy E, Wang, Dong D, Li, Ruifeng, Liu, Gang, Eliassen, Heather A, Chan, Andrew T, Clish, Clary B, Huttenhower, Curtis, Hu, Frank B, Sun, Qi, Rimm, Eric B
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 4-Butyrolactone - analogs & derivatives; 4-Butyrolactone - metabolism; Abundance; Adult; Analysis; Bacteria; Biosynthesis; Control; Diet; Digestive system; Enterolactone; Enzymes; Feces; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Gastrointestinal system; Gastrointestinal tract; Humans; Identification and classification; Intestinal microflora; Lignan; Lignans; Lignans - metabolism; Male; Men; Metabolic; Metabolic diseases; Metabolism; Metabolites; Microbiome; Microbiomes; Microbiota; Microbiota (Symbiotic organisms); Microorganisms; Plant metabolites; Plasma; Plasma levels; Prevention; Risk; Risk factors; Species; Taxonomy
• ISSN: 1471-2180; 1471-2180
• DOI: 10.1186/s12866-022-02495-0

The conversion of plant lignans to bioactive enterolignans in the gastrointestinal tract is mediated through microbial processing. The goal of this study was to examine the relationships between lignan intake, plasma enterolactone concentrations, gut microbiome composition, and metabolic risk in free-living male adults. In 303 men participating in the Men's Lifestyle Validation Study (MLVS), lignan intake was assessed using two sets of 7-day diet records, and gut microbiome was profiled through shotgun sequencing of up to 2 pairs of fecal samples (n = 911). A score was calculated to summarize the abundance of bacteria species that were significantly associated with plasma enterolactone levels. Of the 138 filtered species, plasma enterolactone levels were significantly associated with the relative abundances of 18 species at FDR