{"id":175626,"date":"2023-04-12T08:00:09","date_gmt":"2023-04-12T18:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=175626"},"modified":"2023-04-11T14:19:25","modified_gmt":"2023-04-12T00:19:25","slug":"gut-bacteria-research-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2023\/04\/12\/gut-bacteria-research-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Gut bacteria linked to mental health, other chronic disease risks among <abbr>NHPI<\/abbr> populations"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><figure id=\"attachment_175638\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-175638\" style=\"width: 676px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/manoa-jabsom-css-brennan-yamamoto.jpg\" alt=\"person measuring out samples\" width=\"676\" height=\"381\" class=\"size-full wp-image-175638\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/manoa-jabsom-css-brennan-yamamoto.jpg 676w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/manoa-jabsom-css-brennan-yamamoto-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/manoa-jabsom-css-brennan-yamamoto-130x73.jpg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-175638\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><abbr>PhD<\/abbr> student Brennan Yamamoto performs a type 2 diabetes test on a sample from a study participant.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A potential link between intestinal bacteria and the disproportionately higher rates of certain chronic disease and mental health risks among Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders (<abbr>NHPIs<\/abbr>) has been discovered by an interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa. The new findings were published in a series of articles in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/about\/mission\"><em>Frontiers<\/em><\/a>, the world\u2019s third most-cited research publisher.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_175639\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-175639\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/manoa-jabsom-css-rosa-lee-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"person drawing blood from another person\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-175639\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/manoa-jabsom-css-rosa-lee-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/manoa-jabsom-css-rosa-lee-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/manoa-jabsom-css-rosa-lee.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-175639\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Post-baccalaureate phlebotomist Rosa Lee obtains a blood sample through venipuncture.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Researchers from <abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/jabsom.hawaii.edu\/\">John <abbr>A<\/abbr>. Burns School of Medicine<\/a> (<abbr>JABSOM<\/abbr>) and the <a href=\"https:\/\/uhero.hawaii.edu\/\">University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Economic Research Organization<\/a> (<abbr>UHERO<\/abbr>) in the <a href=\"https:\/\/socialsciences.manoa.hawaii.edu\/\">College of Social Sciences<\/a> have identified key differences in the numbers and types of intestinal bacteria strains in <abbr>NHPIs<\/abbr> that track with age, type 2 diabetes status, body mass index and self-esteem. Using these profiles, they identified specific features that may partially regulate the biological processes that impact mental health and metabolic conditions that appear to be related to inflammation, and may help explain the higher incidences of depression and diabetes among <abbr>NHPIs<\/abbr>. Examples of these findings include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A novel interaction between self-esteem and abundance of <em>Veillonellaceae<\/em> bacteria, where increased levels of this bacteria in the gut corresponded to a significant increase in self-esteem, with individuals with low self-esteem (a risk factor for depression) showing abnormally low levels of this bacteria.<\/li>\n<li>Shared imbalance of <em>Bacteroidetes<\/em> between diabetes and obesity, where its abundance was observed to decrease with poor glycemic control and increase with obesity.<\/li>\n<li>A significant and specific deficiency in the levels of butyrate-producing bacteria in the gut of pre- and diabetic participants, that corresponded to increased systemic inflammation.<\/li>\n<li>A novel significant association between the levels of <em>Cyanobacteria<\/em> (which produces toxins and implicated in cancer risk in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>) and poor glycemic control, with overabundance of this bacteria in the gut of diabetic participants.<\/li>\n<li>A significantly higher gut microbial diversity in obese and diabetic individuals of <abbr>NHPI<\/abbr> ancestry. This contrasts with the relationship observed between obesity and diabetes in other ethnic\/race groups previously reported in other studies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_175641\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-175641\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/manoa-jabsom-css-alika-maunakea-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"person smiling\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-175641\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/manoa-jabsom-css-alika-maunakea-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/manoa-jabsom-css-alika-maunakea-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/manoa-jabsom-css-alika-maunakea.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-175641\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alika Maunakea<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The new research is based on survey findings from a cohort of more than 500 <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> residents statewide. The surveys were conducted by <abbr>UH<\/abbr>\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hiseed.org\/\"><span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Social Epigenomics of Early Diabetes Cohort<\/a> (<abbr>HI-SEED<\/abbr>) project and designed to identify novel biomarkers predictive of the development of diabetes in order to enable prevention and restore health equity in the islands.<\/p>\n<p>The results indicate that biological findings from other ethnic\/race groups may not necessarily be generalizable to the <abbr>NHPI<\/abbr> population and highlight the importance of increasing representation of <abbr>NHPIs<\/abbr> in social and biomedical research studies.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Your gut microbiome is affected by what you eat and your environment, and for the first time, we have uncovered differences in Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders that contrast with findings from other populations. This may better explain higher rates of chronic health conditions such as diabetes among NHPIs that cannot be explained by social environmental factors alone,&rdquo; said report co-author <strong>Alika Maunakea<\/strong>, associate professor at the Department of Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology at <abbr>JABSOM<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_175642\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-175642\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/manoa-jabsom-css-ruben-juarez-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"person smiling\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-175642\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/manoa-jabsom-css-ruben-juarez-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/manoa-jabsom-css-ruben-juarez-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/manoa-jabsom-css-ruben-juarez.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-175642\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ruben Juarez<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>According to the <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> State Department of Health, <abbr>NHPIs<\/abbr> suffer disproportionately higher rates of and deaths from <a href=\"https:\/\/minorityhealth.hhs.gov\/omh\/browse.aspx?lvl=4&#038;lvlid=78\">type 2 diabetes<\/a> than any other major race\/ethnic group in the state. In 2018, the age-adjusted diabetes death rate among <abbr>NHPIs<\/abbr> was more than 2.5 times higher than that of the general state population. Studies have also shown that <abbr>NHPI<\/abbr> have a higher prevalence of depressed moods, <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/10714057\/\">suicidal ideation and attempts<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/29656915\/\">illicit drug use<\/a>, but are three times less likely to receive <a href=\"https:\/\/minorityhealth.hhs.gov\/omh\/browse.aspx?lvl=4&#038;lvlid=172\">mental health<\/a> services and treatment compared to non-Hispanic white people. While existing research has described social determinants of mental health in this population, little is known about the biological mechanisms underlying the disproportionately higher rates of low self-esteem related to depression among <abbr>NHPIs<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Our findings have significant implications for personalized medicine and improved strategies to enable interventions aimed at preventing chronic disease outcomes, especially among <abbr>NHPIs<\/abbr>. In working with <abbr>NHPI<\/abbr>-led community-based organizations, we are already observing some promising results of such strategies,&rdquo; added co-author <strong>Ruben Juarez<\/strong>, <abbr>HMSA<\/abbr> Endowed Professor in Health Economics in <abbr>UHERO<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n<h2>Preventing chronic diseases among <abbr>NHPIs<\/abbr><\/h2>\n<p>One example is a partnership with <span aria-label=\"MAO\">MA&#699;O<\/span> Organic Farms, which is located in <span aria-label=\"Waianae\">Wai&#699;anae<\/span> with a dense <abbr>NHPI<\/abbr> population. The <span aria-label=\"MAO\">MA&#699;O<\/span> Organic Farms\u2019 Youth Leadership Training (<abbr>YLT<\/abbr>) program connects <span aria-label=\"aina\">&#699;\u0101ina<\/span> (that which feeds) and <span aria-label=\"opio\">&#699;\u014dpio<\/span> (youth) to create a local food system that incorporates education, healthy lifestyle and socioeconomic development. <abbr>YLT<\/abbr> interns experience improvements in attaining higher-level education, nutrition, physical activity, access to health care and cultural literacy, potentially reducing the risk of chronic disease conditions prevalent in that community. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2019\/02\/26\/uh-mao-farms-diabetes-study\/\">pilot program<\/a> has shown to reduce the risk for diabetes among oncoming <abbr>YLT<\/abbr> interns after a year in the program.<\/p>\n<p>Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, <abbr>HI-SEED<\/abbr> is led by Maunakea with the support of Juarez, and includes researchers from <abbr>JABSOM<\/abbr>, College of Social Sciences, <abbr>UHERO<\/abbr> and the <abbr>UH<\/abbr> Cancer Center.<\/p>\n<h2>Participate in the study<\/h2>\n<p>Recruitment of the <abbr>HI-SEED<\/abbr> cohort participants is ongoing and is open to qualified <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> residents who are between the ages of 20 and 50. Selected participants are required to complete a comprehensive questionnaire, anthropometrics exam and contribute blood and stool samples. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hiseed.org\/research\">Learn more<\/a> about the project and eligibility criteria.<\/p>\n<p>Read the full research articles:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fcimb.2022.1035641\/full\">Gut microbial indicators of metabolic health underlie age-related differences in obesity and diabetes risk among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fgene.2023.1125217\/abstract\">Examining the immunoepigenetic-gut microbiome axis in the context of self-esteem among Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The results indicate that biological findings from other ethnic\/race groups may not necessarily be generalizable to the <abbr>NHPI<\/abbr> population.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[301,31,1467,1363,158,1026,169,9,343],"class_list":["post-175626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","tag-college-of-social-sciences","tag-john-a-burns-school-of-medicine","tag-manoa-excellence-in-research","tag-manoa-research","tag-publication","tag-social-science","tag-uh-cancer-center","tag-uh-manoa","tag-uhero","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=175626"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175626\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":175658,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175626\/revisions\/175658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=175626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=175626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=175626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}