Hundreds of differences in gut bacteria appear to line up with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, according to research being presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) annual meeting in Milan, which runs from 28 September to 2 October. Dr Gabriel Baldanzi and Professor Nicola Segata of the University of Trento, with colleagues in the UK, analysed stool metagenomic data and health records from 229,025 adults in the UK and US, drawn from the cohort of the personalised nutrition company ZOE, whose scientific co-founder Professor Tim Spector is an author. Of those adults, 3,627 had type 2 diabetes and 14,022 had prediabetes. The team reported 789 bacterial species associated with type 2 diabetes, 168 more abundant and 621 less abundant, and 587 of them were also linked to unmedicated prediabetes. The work is a conference abstract that has not been peer reviewed, and it is cross-sectional, so it describes associations at one point in time.
What the study adds to earlier research
The early-warning angle comes from 135,093 participants with normal blood sugar. Those with higher blood sugar after meals already carried some of the microbiome patterns seen in type 2 diabetes, the researchers reported, although the abstract presents no data on who later developed the condition. A separate Swedish study from Chalmers University of Technology, released in July, did follow people over time. Among 4,685 adults tracked for about five years, 383 developed type 2 diabetes, and the team identified nine bacteria associated with that risk. Its authors said the findings need validating in further large studies. That work was funded by the EU HealthFerm project and the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation.
What this means in practice
For now, very little changes. The researchers say microbiome analysis should sit alongside standard blood glucose tests rather than replace them, and neither study tested whether changing the gut bacteria through diet, supplements or anything else alters diabetes risk. Stool tests are sold directly to consumers in the UK, but this abstract does not validate any of them as a way to screen for diabetes. Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes are still diagnosed with blood tests, and the full paper, once published, will show how well the findings hold up under peer review.
How Perqen members save
Perqen members pay £4.99 a month or £29.99 a year for member pricing across the full supplement catalogue, and non-members can still buy at standard prices. The membership pricing page sets out how it works.
This article reports published news and research and is for information only. Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet or medical care, and no product mentioned is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Speak to your GP or pharmacist before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking prescribed medicines.