The gut microbiome appears to increase a person’s risk of type 2 diabetes Specific strains of microbes are found in the guts of diabetics These microbes are also found in people newly diagnosed with the disease, suggesting they influenced diabetes risk WEDNESDAY, June 26, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- A person’s gut microbiome appears to increase their risk of developing type 2 diabetes , researchers claim. Specific strains of gut microbes are more commonly found in people with type 2 diabetes, and these strains seem to heighten the risk of developing the metabolic disorder, they say. "We believe that changes in the gut microbiome cause type 2 diabetes,” said researcher Dr.
Daniel Wang , an assistant professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.
If that’s true, “we can find a way to change the microbiome and reduce type 2 diabetes risk,” Wang added in a Harvard news release. "The microbiome is amenable to intervention -- meaning you can change your microbiome, for example, with dietary changes, probiotics or fecal transplants." Every healthy gut contains trillions of bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses, all of which constitute the gut microbiome.
The microbiome plays a number of key roles in a person’s health. It stimulates the immune system, helps digest potentially toxic foods and produces key vitamins, enzymes and amino acids. Research has previously linked changes in the gut microbiome to the development of type 2 diabetes,.
