press_release_conclusion: The work, published in the open access journal Genome Medicine, examined variations in composition and function of the gut microbiota in relation to existing clinical T2D indicators like Body Mass Index (BMI) or Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS, the amount of glucose found in the blood after an overnight fast). The researchers showed that changes in the gut microbiota that can be observed in clinical T2D are already present at sub-clinical and pre-onset stages of the condition. The ability to detect changes like this before T2D symptoms develop might be useful for early diagnosis and intervention, thus providing a new way to potentially reduce the time between detection of T2D and onset and thus mitigate the effects of the disease.
abstract_conclusion: We found changes both in composition and in function of the sub-clinical gut microbiome, including a decrease in Akkermansia muciniphila suggesting a role prior to the onset of disease, and functional changes reflecting a response to oxidative stress comparable to that previously observed in chronic T2D and inflammatory bowel diseases.