Gut microbiota metabolites, amino acid metabolites and improvements in insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism: the POUNDS Lost trial.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE:Alterations in gut microbiota have been linked to host insulin resistance, diabetes and impaired amino acid metabolism. We investigated whether changes in gut microbiota-dependent metabolite of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) and its nutrient precursors (choline and L-carnitine) were associated with improvements in glucose metabolism and diabetes-related amino acids in a weight-loss diet intervention. DESIGN:We included 504 overweight and obese adults who were randomly assigned to one of four energy-reduced diets varying in macronutrient intake. The 6-month changes (?) in TMAO, choline and L-carnitine levels after the intervention were calculated. RESULTS:Greater decreases in choline and L-carnitine were significantly (p<0.05) associated with greater improvements in fasting insulin concentrations and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) at 6 months. The reduction of choline was significantly related to 2-year improvements in glucose and insulin resistance. We found significant linkages between dietary fat intake and ?TMAO for changes in fasting glucose, insulin and HOMA-IR (pinteraction <0.05); a greater increase in TMAO was related to lesser improvements in the outcomes among participants who consumed a high-fat diet. In addition, ?L-carnitine and ?choline were significantly related to changes in amino acids (including branched-chain and aromatic amino acids). Interestingly, the associations of ?TMAO, ?choline and ?L-carnitine with diabetes-related traits were independent of the changes in amino acids. CONCLUSION:Our findings underscore the importance of changes in TMAO, choline and L-carnitine in improving insulin sensitivity during a weight-loss intervention for obese patients. Dietary fat intake may modify the associations of TMAO with insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER:NCT00072995.

SUBMITTER: Heianza Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6275143 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature