Different Gut Microbes Suggest Gender-specific Health Approaches

The microbes living in the guts of males and females react differently to diet, even when the diets are identical, according to a study by scientists from The Univ. of Texas at Austin and six other institutions published this week in the journal Nature Communications. These results suggest that therapies designed to improve human health and treat diseases through nutrition might need to be tailored for each sex.

The researchers studied the gut microbes in two species of fish and in mice, and also conducted an in-depth analysis of data that other researchers collected on humans. They found that in fish and humans diet affected the microbiota of males and females differently. In some cases, different species of microbes would dominate, while in others, the diversity of bacteria would be higher in one sex than the other.

Fonte: Laboratory Equipment