Press Release

Children with type 1 diabetes may have a less desirable gut bacteria composition

Washington, DC July 21, 2020

Artificial intelligence defines the microbiome’s role in diabetes development

Children with type 1 diabetes have less desirable gut microbiome compositionwhich may play a role in the development of the diseaseaccording to new research published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Type 1 diabetes most often occurs in children and adolescents and is a disease in which a person’s pancreas produces little or no insulin. The prevalence of type 1 diabetes in children is related not only to genetic predisposition, but also to environmental factors such as gut health and gut-microbiota compositionThe gut microbiome is a community of bacteria within the gastrointestinal tract that have a major influence on metabolism, body weight, the development of diseaseand the immune system.

Wefound a particular gut microbiota composition that is associated with poorer blood sugar measures in a group of children and adolescents with newly-diagnosed type 1 diabetes,” said the study’s corresponding author,Giuseppe d'Annunzio, M.D., of the IstitutoGianninaGaslini in Genoa, Italy. “We used a form of artificial intelligence called machine learning to do a more thorough and robust genetic analysis."

The researchers studied the microbiomes of 31 children with type 1 diabetes and 25 children who did not have diabetes. They used machine learning analysis and genetic analysis and found patients with type 1 diabetes had a significantly higher amount of gut bacteria linked to the onset of diabetes.

Gut microbiota composition deserves attention as a new topic of research in the development of several diseases,” d'Annunzio said.

Other authors include Roberto Biassoni, Eddi Di Marco, Gianluca Piccolo, Elisabetta UgolottiCinzia Gattiand Nicola Minuto of the Istituto GianninaGasliniMargherita Squillario, Annalisa Barla, and Giuseppa Patti of the University of Genoa in Italyand Mohamad Maghnie of the IstitutoGianninaGaslini and the University of Genoa.

The study was supported by the Ministerodella Salute, the Italian Ministry of Health.

The manuscript, “Gut Microbiota in TIDM-Onset Pediatric Patients: Machine Learning Algorithms to Classify Microorganisms Disease-Linked,” was published online, ahead of print.

About Endocrine Society

Endocrinologists are at the core of solving the most pressing health problems of our time, from diabetes and obesity to infertility, bone health, and hormone-related cancers. The Endocrine Society is the world’s oldest and largest organization of scientists devoted to hormone research and physicians who care for people with hormone-related conditions.

The Society has more than 18,000 members, including scientists, physicians, educators, nurses, and students in 122 countries. To learn more about the Society and the field of endocrinology, visit our site at www.endocrine.org. Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @TheEndoSociety and @EndoMedia.

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