Gut Microbiome and Body Composition with Sorbitol Intake During Early Lifespan

Abstract

ObjectiveThe association of sorbitol intake with maintaining healthy body weight through microbiome in the gut during early lifespan was investigated. Research Methods & ProceduresSorbitol intake, body mass index (BMI) and fecal samples were collected in the total of 369 pregnant women with their infants (aged 4 months - 5 years) from the Taipei Mother–Infant Nutrition Cohort (TMINC) and 1946 children and adolescents (aged 6 - 18 years) from the Taiwan Puberty Longitudinal Study (TPLS). The BMI-z score (zBMI) in sorbitol users was compared to that in sorbitol nonusers using generalized linear mixed model (GLMM). The beta diversity of microbiome was investigated in both cohorts. The association between the richness of microbes and body composition was analyzed. ResultsThe children and adolescents with high sorbitol intake had lower zBMI at the age of 6-10 and 11 to 18 years (p < .01) compared with those without sorbitol intake. The beta diversity of microbiome significantly differed between the sorbitol users and nonusers. Bifidobacterium was higher in the gut of infants and children whose mothers were sorbitol users than that of infants and children whose mothers were sorbitol nonusers during pregnancy. Several microbes were involved in the regulation of obesity, such as Staphylococcus, Faecalibacterium, and Oscillospiraceae_UCG-005 negatively associated with anthropometric measures. ConclusionsSorbitol intake was associated with lower children and adolescents’ BMI. Sorbitol consumption could shape the composition and richness of beneficial microbiota, contributing to the maintenance of ideal body weight and metabolic homeostasis in early life.