Obesity is a metabolic disease characterized by low-grade inflammation and accompanied by dyslipidemia and up-regulation of other bioactive molecules, creating a predisposition to endothelial dysfunction and metabolic syndrome. We studied the association between gut microbiota diversity and endothelial dysfunction (EDF) markers in obese Mexican children and adolescents. We examined clinical data including metabolic factors and EDF markers in blood samples. Gut bacterial diversity was characterized by high-throughput sequencing of V3-16S rDNA libraries. Triglycerides, insulin, homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistant (HOMA-IR), leptin, C-reactive protein (CRP), and EDF marker intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) were significantly higher in obese children and adolescents. Multivariate analysis showed statistically significant positive associations between vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) and Veillonellaceae, and between ICAM-1 and Ruminococcus in obese children. In obese adolescents, there was a statistically significant positive association between total cholesterol and Ruminococcus, and between ICAM-1 and Bacteroides. LEfSe analysis showed that the genus Lactobacillus and family Coriobacteriaceae were enriched in children, and genera Collinsella and Prevotella were enriched in obese adolescents. Obese children and adolescents had higher levels of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. These results suggest that obese Mexican children and adolescents had increased levels of CRP and a reduction of adiponectin, which causes higher expression of EDF markers, affecting endothelial function and associating with changes in the gut microbiota.

In this work, we studied 217 Mexican subjects divided into six groups with different stages of glucose intolerance: 76 Controls (CO), 54 prediabetes (PRE), 14 T2D no medication (T2D−No−M), 14 T2D with Metformin (T2D−M), 22 T2D with polypharmacy (T2D−P), and 37 T2D with polypharmacy and insulin (T2D−P+I). We aimed to determine differences in the gut microbiota diversity for each condition. At the phylum level, we found that Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes outline major changes in the gut microbiota. The gut bacterial richness and diversity of individuals in the T2D−No−M group were lesser than other groups. Interestingly, we found a significant difference in the beta diversity of the gut microbiota among all groups. Higher abundance was found for Comamonadaceae in PRE, and Sutterella spp. in T2D−No−M. In addition, we found associations of specific microbial taxa with clinical parameters. Finally, we report predicted metabolic pathways of gut microbiota linked to T2D−M and PRE conditions. Collectively, these results indicate that each group has specific predicted metabolic characteristics and gut bacteria populations for each phenotype. The results of this study could be used to define strategies to modulate gut microbiota through noninvasive treatments, such as dietary intervention, probiotics or prebiotics, and to improve glucose tolerance of individuals with prediabetes or T2D.

Pregnancy is a contributor to the obesity epidemic in women, probably through postpartum weight retention (PPWR), weight gain (PPWG), or a combination of both (PPWR + WG). The contribution of these patterns of postpartum weight change to long-term maternal health remains understudied. In a secondary analysis of 361 women from the prospective cohort PROGRESS, we evaluated the associations between patterns of weight change one year after delivery and cardiometabolic risk factors at six years postpartum. Using principal component analysis, we grouped cardiometabolic risk factors into: (1) body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), triglycerides (TG), and glucose; (2) systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP); and (3) low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and total cholesterol. Using path analysis, we studied direct (patterns of weight change-outcomes) and indirect associations through BMI at six years postpartum. Around 60% of women returned to their pregestational weight (reference) by one year postpartum, 6.6% experienced PPWR, 13.9% PPWG, and 19.9% PPWR + WG. Women with PPWR + WG, vs. the reference, had higher BMI and WC at six years (2.30 kg/m², 95% CI [1.67, 2.93]; 3.38 cm [1.14, 5.62]). This was also observed in women with PPWR (1.80 kg/m² [0.80, 2.79]; 3.15 cm [−0.35, 6.65]) and PPWG (1.22 kg/m² [0.53, 1.92]; 3.32 cm [0.85, 5.78]). PPWR + WG had a direct association with HOMA-IR (0.21 units [0.04, 0.39]). The three patterns of weight change, vs. the reference, had significant indirect associations with HOMA-IR, glucose, TG, HDL-c, SBP, and DBP through BMI at six years. In conclusion, women with PPWR + WG are at high-risk for obesity and insulin resistance. Interventions targeting women during pregnancy and the first year postpartum may have implications for their long-term risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease.

The entero–mammary pathway is a specialized route that selectively translocates bacteria to the newborn’s gut, playing a crucial role in neonatal development. Previous studies report shared bacterial and archaeal taxa between human milk and neonatal intestine. However, the functional implications for neonatal development are not fully understood due to limited evidence. This study aimed to identify and characterize the microbiota and metabolome of human milk, mother, and infant stool samples using high-throughput DNA sequencing and FT-ICR MS methodology at delivery and 4 months post-partum. Twenty-one mothers and twenty-five infants were included in this study. Our results on bacterial composition suggest vertical transmission of bacteria through breastfeeding, with major changes occurring during the first 4 months of life. Metabolite chemical characterization sheds light on the growing complexity of the metabolites. Further data integration and network analysis disclosed the interactions between different bacteria and metabolites in the biological system as well as possible unknown pathways. Our findings suggest a shared bacteriome in breastfed mother–neonate pairs, influenced by maternal lifestyle and delivery conditions, serving as probiotic agents in infants for their healthy development. Also, the presence of food biomarkers in infants suggests their origin from breast milk, implying selective vertical transmission of these features.