Study of the Gut Microbiome of Asian Children

Abstract

Asia has diverse food cultures some of which are known to have health benefits. In this context, the gut microbiota of Asians has attracted much interest. To investigate the gut microbiota in various Asian countries, we have been conducting the Asian Microbiome Project (AMP) since 2009. In particular, the AMP has focused on the gut microbiota of children which must strongly reflect the food cultures of their countries. The results of these investigations have shown that the gut microbiota of children in East Asia and Southeast Asia can be respectively classified into a BB type, which has a high presence of Bacteroides and Bifidobacterium, and a P type, which has a high presence of Prevotella. However, the AMP study has also indicated that these characteristics are disappearing under the influence of recent globalization of diets. Moreover, the pattern of changes in the gut microbiota in developing countries varies, probably due to the difference in food situations in each country.