New Delhi: A major study has found that the gut microbiomes of South Asian populations are distinct from those reported elsewhere in the world and are strongly influenced by local diet, culture, geography and lifestyle.
Researchers analysed stool samples and health, dietary and lifestyle data from 575 healthy adults across 10 communities in India and Sri Lanka. Using the South Asian MicroBiome ARray (SAMBAR), scientists compared rural and urban populations and examined their microbiomes against global datasets.
The study found that each community follows a unique microbiome trajectory as lifestyles change. Urbanisation was associated with microbial changes linked to metabolic health, highlighting the need to consider regional differences while developing microbiome-based therapies.
Researchers from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), University of Chicago and collaborating institutions in India, Sri Lanka and the US conducted the study, led by Dr Niraj Rai.
Published in Gut Microbes, the study provides baseline gut microbiome data from healthy Indian populations and could support the development of personalised nutrition, microbiome-based diagnostics and precision healthcare.
The researchers said the SAMBAR resource could aid future studies on diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and other lifestyle-related disorders increasingly affecting South Asia.
