Gut microbial diversity varied across living settings in Sub-Saharan Africa
A systematic review found differences in overall microbial diversity, while patterns for specific bacterial groups were inconsistent. Diet and intestinal parasites were also linked with microbial composition.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The review found differences in overall gut microbial diversity across settings, with hunter-gatherers showing higher diversity than rural and urban residents in its results section. It did not find a consistent pattern in the relative abundance of individual bacterial groups. These associations do not establish that urbanization itself changes the microbiome or causes illness.
This abstract-based summary cannot resolve the inconsistent bacterial-group results: the authors cite limited statistical power and varied methods and designs as possible explanations. Follow-up durations and quantitative pooled estimates are not reported.
What researchers found
Gut microbial diversity within and between people
Hunter-gatherers versus rural and urban residents in Sub-Saharan Africa; assessment timing is not reported. The abstract gives no pooled numerical effect.
Different ways to describe microbes
The review considered both diversity within an individual's gut microbiome and variation between people's microbiomes. Those broad measures differed across settings, even when the relative abundance of particular bacterial groups lacked a consistent pattern.
Several factors were involved
Diet and intestinal parasites were associated with microbial composition and diversity. Their involvement makes the review's question broader than a simple rural-versus-urban contrast, but the abstract does not isolate the independent contribution of each factor.
The original publication
Urbanization gradient, diet, and gut microbiota in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review.
Paulo LS, Msema Bwire G, Klipstein-Grobusch K et al.
Front Microbiomes · 2023
- PubMed ID
- 41853368
- Record checked
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