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Gut microbial short-chain fatty acids and the risk of diabetes

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A new study used genome-wide association data and Mendelian randomization to investigate associations between the gut microbiome and metabolic traits. The researchers demonstrate that host genetic variants influence levels of the short-chain fatty acids butyrate and propionate in the gut, which in turn modulate host glycaemic metabolism.

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Fig. 1: Host genetics, gut microbiota SCFAs and risk of diabetes.

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Acknowledgements

W.L.L. is funded by American Heart Association grant 17IRG33410803 and National Institutes of Health–National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke grant R01 NS20989.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA

    Wei Ling Lau & Nosratola D. Vaziri

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  1. Wei Ling Lau
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  2. Nosratola D. Vaziri
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Correspondence to Wei Ling Lau or Nosratola D. Vaziri.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Lau, W.L., Vaziri, N.D. Gut microbial short-chain fatty acids and the risk of diabetes. Nat Rev Nephrol 15, 389–390 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41581-019-0142-7

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