1
|
Ni Lochlainn M, Bowyer RCE, Moll JM, García MP, Wadge S, Baleanu AF, Nessa A, Sheedy A, Akdag G, Hart D, Raffaele G, Seed PT, Murphy C, Harridge SDR, Welch AA, Greig C, Whelan K, Steves CJ. Effect of gut microbiome modulation on muscle function and cognition: the PROMOTe randomised controlled trial. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1859. [PMID: 38424099 PMCID: PMC10904794 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46116-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Studies suggest that inducing gut microbiota changes may alter both muscle physiology and cognitive behaviour. Gut microbiota may play a role in both anabolic resistance of older muscle, and cognition. In this placebo controlled double blinded randomised controlled trial of 36 twin pairs (72 individuals), aged ≥60, each twin pair are block randomised to receive either placebo or prebiotic daily for 12 weeks. Resistance exercise and branched chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation is prescribed to all participants. Outcomes are physical function and cognition. The trial is carried out remotely using video visits, online questionnaires and cognitive testing, and posting of equipment and biological samples. The prebiotic supplement is well tolerated and results in a changed gut microbiome [e.g., increased relative Bifidobacterium abundance]. There is no significant difference between prebiotic and placebo for the primary outcome of chair rise time (β = 0.579; 95% CI -1.080-2.239 p = 0.494). The prebiotic improves cognition (factor score versus placebo (β = -0.482; 95% CI,-0.813, -0.141; p = 0.014)). Our results demonstrate that cheap and readily available gut microbiome interventions may improve cognition in our ageing population. We illustrate the feasibility of remotely delivered trials for older people, which could reduce under-representation of older people in clinical trials. ClinicalTrials.gov registration: NCT04309292.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mary Ni Lochlainn
- King's College London, Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, London, SE1 7EH, UK.
| | - Ruth C E Bowyer
- King's College London, Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, London, SE1 7EH, UK
- The Alan Turing Institute, London, NW1 2DB, UK
| | | | - María Paz García
- King's College London, Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Samuel Wadge
- King's College London, Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Andrei-Florin Baleanu
- King's College London, Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Ayrun Nessa
- King's College London, Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Alyce Sheedy
- King's College London, Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Gulsah Akdag
- King's College London, Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Deborah Hart
- King's College London, Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Giulia Raffaele
- GKT School of Medical Education, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Paul T Seed
- Unit for Medical Statistics/Department for Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Caroline Murphy
- King's Clinical Trials Unit, Research Management and Innovation Directorate, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Stephen D R Harridge
- Centre for Human & Applied Physiological Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ailsa A Welch
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Carolyn Greig
- School of Sport, Exercise, and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- MRC-Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, Birmingham, UK
- NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Kevin Whelan
- King's College London, Department of Nutritional Sciences, Franklin Wilkins Building, SE1 9NH, London, UK
| | - Claire J Steves
- King's College London, Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, London, SE1 7EH, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zhang X, Adebayo AS, Wang D, Raza Y, Tomlinson M, Dooley H, Bowyer RCE, Small KS, Steves CJ, Spector TD, Duncan EL, Visconti A, Falchi M. PPI-Induced Changes in Plasma Metabolite Levels Influence Total Hip Bone Mineral Density in a UK Cohort. J Bone Miner Res 2023; 38:326-334. [PMID: 36458982 PMCID: PMC10108201 DOI: 10.1002/jbmr.4754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are among the most used drugs in the UK. PPI use has been associated with decreased bone mineral density (BMD) and increased fracture risk, although these results have been inconsistent. We hypothesized that PPI could modulate BMD by altering gut and/or host systemic metabolic environments. Using data from more than 5000 British male and female individuals, we confirmed that PPI use is associated with decreased lumbar spine and total hip BMD. This effect was not mediated through the gut microbiome. We suggest here that PPI use may influence total hip BMD, both directly and indirectly, via plasma metabolites involved in the sex hormone pathway. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xinyuan Zhang
- Department of Twins Research & Genetics Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Adewale S Adebayo
- Department of Twins Research & Genetics Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Dongmeng Wang
- Department of Twins Research & Genetics Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Yasrab Raza
- Department of Twins Research & Genetics Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Max Tomlinson
- Department of Twins Research & Genetics Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Hannah Dooley
- Department of Twins Research & Genetics Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ruth C E Bowyer
- Department of Twins Research & Genetics Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Kerrin S Small
- Department of Twins Research & Genetics Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Claire J Steves
- Department of Twins Research & Genetics Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Tim D Spector
- Department of Twins Research & Genetics Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Emma L Duncan
- Department of Twins Research & Genetics Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Alessia Visconti
- Department of Twins Research & Genetics Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Mario Falchi
- Department of Twins Research & Genetics Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Ni Lochlainn M, Bowyer RCE, Welch AA, Whelan K, Steves CJ. Higher dietary protein intake is associated with sarcopenia in older British twins. Age Ageing 2023; 52:7036280. [PMID: 36800504 DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afad018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sarcopenia, characterised by an accelerated loss of skeletal muscle mass and function, is associated with negative outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate factors associated with skeletal muscle strength, mass and sarcopenia, particularly protein intake, and to assess whether shared twin characteristics are important. METHODS This study utilised cross-sectional data from a study of community-dwelling twins aged ≥60 years. Multivariable logistic regression and between- and within-twin pair regression modelling were used. RESULTS Participants (n = 3,302) were 89% female (n = 2,923), aged a mean of 72.1 (±7.3) years and composed of 858 (55%) monozygotic, 709 (45%) dizygotic twin pairs and 168 individual lone twins. Using optimal protein intake as the reference group (1.0-1.3 g/kg/day), there was no significant association between protein intake (neither high nor low) and low muscle strength, or between low protein intake and sarcopenia (odds ratio (OR) 0.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39-1.25; P = 0.229) in unadjusted models. High protein intake (>1.3 g/kg/day) was associated with low muscle mass (OR 1.76; 95% CI 1.39-2.24; P < 0.0001), while low protein intake was protective (OR 0.52; 95% CI 0.40-0.67; P < 0.0001). High protein intake was associated with sarcopenia (OR 2.04; 95% CI 1.21-3.44; P = 0.008), and this was robust to adjustment for demographic, anthropometric and dietary factors. The association between muscle strength and weight, body mass index, healthy eating index, protein intake and alpha diversity was not significantly influenced by shared twin factors, indicating greater amenability to interventions. CONCLUSIONS High protein intake is associated with sarcopenia in a cohort of healthy older twins.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mary Ni Lochlainn
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Ruth C E Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London SE1 7EH, UK.,AI for Science and Government, The Alan Turing Institute, London NW1 2DB, UK
| | - Ailsa A Welch
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Kevin Whelan
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, King's College London, London SE1 9NH, UK
| | - Claire J Steves
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London SE1 7EH, UK
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Bowyer RCE, Huggins C, Toms R, Shaw RJ, Hou B, Thompson EJ, Kwong ASF, Williams DM, Kibble M, Ploubidis GB, Timpson NJ, Sterne JAC, Chaturvedi N, Steves CJ, Tilling K, Silverwood RJ. Characterising patterns of COVID-19 and long COVID symptoms: evidence from nine UK longitudinal studies. Eur J Epidemiol 2023; 38:199-210. [PMID: 36680646 PMCID: PMC9860244 DOI: 10.1007/s10654-022-00962-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Multiple studies across global populations have established the primary symptoms characterising Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and long COVID. However, as symptoms may also occur in the absence of COVID-19, a lack of appropriate controls has often meant that specificity of symptoms to acute COVID-19 or long COVID, and the extent and length of time for which they are elevated after COVID-19, could not be examined. We analysed individual symptom prevalences and characterised patterns of COVID-19 and long COVID symptoms across nine UK longitudinal studies, totalling over 42,000 participants. Conducting latent class analyses separately in three groups ('no COVID-19', 'COVID-19 in last 12 weeks', 'COVID-19 > 12 weeks ago'), the data did not support the presence of more than two distinct symptom patterns, representing high and low symptom burden, in each group. Comparing the high symptom burden classes between the 'COVID-19 in last 12 weeks' and 'no COVID-19' groups we identified symptoms characteristic of acute COVID-19, including loss of taste and smell, fatigue, cough, shortness of breath and muscle pains or aches. Comparing the high symptom burden classes between the 'COVID-19 > 12 weeks ago' and 'no COVID-19' groups we identified symptoms characteristic of long COVID, including fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle pain or aches, difficulty concentrating and chest tightness. The identified symptom patterns among individuals with COVID-19 > 12 weeks ago were strongly associated with self-reported length of time unable to function as normal due to COVID-19 symptoms, suggesting that the symptom pattern identified corresponds to long COVID. Building the evidence base regarding typical long COVID symptoms will improve diagnosis of this condition and the ability to elicit underlying biological mechanisms, leading to better patient access to treatment and services.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ruth C E Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
- The Alan Turing Institute, London, UK
| | - Charlotte Huggins
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Renin Toms
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Population Wellbeing, School of Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Richard J Shaw
- MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Bo Hou
- Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford, UK
| | - Ellen J Thompson
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Alex S F Kwong
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Dylan M Williams
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at UCL, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Milla Kibble
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - George B Ploubidis
- Centre for Longitudinal Studies, UCL Social Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - Nicholas J Timpson
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Jonathan A C Sterne
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre, Bristol, UK
- Health Data Research UK South West, Bristol, UK
| | - Nishi Chaturvedi
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at UCL, University College London, London, UK
| | - Claire J Steves
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Ageing and Health, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Kate Tilling
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Richard J Silverwood
- Centre for Longitudinal Studies, UCL Social Research Institute, University College London, London, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Roberts AL, Morea A, Amar A, Zito A, El-Sayed Moustafa JS, Tomlinson M, Bowyer RCE, Zhang X, Christiansen C, Costeira R, Steves CJ, Mangino M, Bell JT, Wong CCY, Vyse TJ, Small KS. Age acquired skewed X chromosome inactivation is associated with adverse health outcomes in humans. eLife 2022; 11:78263. [PMID: 36412098 PMCID: PMC9681199 DOI: 10.7554/elife.78263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ageing is a heterogenous process characterised by cellular and molecular hallmarks, including changes to haematopoietic stem cells and is a primary risk factor for chronic diseases. X chromosome inactivation (XCI) randomly transcriptionally silences either the maternal or paternal X in each cell of 46, XX females to balance the gene expression with 46, XY males. Age acquired XCI-skew describes the preferential selection of cells across a tissue resulting in an imbalance of XCI, which is particularly prevalent in blood tissues of ageing females, and yet its clinical consequences are unknown. METHODS We assayed XCI in 1575 females from the TwinsUK population cohort using DNA extracted from whole blood. We employed prospective, cross-sectional, and intra-twin study designs to characterise the relationship of XCI-skew with molecular and cellular measures of ageing, cardiovascular disease risk, and cancer diagnosis. RESULTS We demonstrate that XCI-skew is independent of traditional markers of biological ageing and is associated with a haematopoietic bias towards the myeloid lineage. Using an atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk score, which captures traditional risk factors, XCI-skew is associated with an increased cardiovascular disease risk both cross-sectionally and within XCI-skew discordant twin pairs. In a prospective 10 year follow-up study, XCI-skew is predictive of future cancer incidence. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrates that age acquired XCI-skew captures changes to the haematopoietic stem cell population and has clinical potential as a unique biomarker of chronic disease risk. FUNDING KSS acknowledges funding from the Medical Research Council [MR/M004422/1 and MR/R023131/1]. JTB acknowledges funding from the ESRC [ES/N000404/1]. MM acknowledges funding from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)-funded BioResource, Clinical Research Facility and Biomedical Research Centre based at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with King's College London. TwinsUK is funded by the Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council, European Union, Chronic Disease Research Foundation (CDRF), Zoe Global Ltd and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)-funded BioResource, Clinical Research Facility and Biomedical Research Centre based at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with King's College London.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amy L Roberts
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alessandro Morea
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ariella Amar
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Antonino Zito
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Max Tomlinson
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ruth C E Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Xinyuan Zhang
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Colette Christiansen
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ricardo Costeira
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Claire J Steves
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Massimo Mangino
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.,NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Guy's and St Thomas' Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jordana T Bell
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Chloe C Y Wong
- Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Timothy J Vyse
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Kerrin S Small
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Wells PM, Sprockett DD, Bowyer RCE, Kurushima Y, Relman DA, Williams FMK, Steves CJ. Influential factors of saliva microbiota composition. Sci Rep 2022; 12:18894. [PMID: 36344584 PMCID: PMC9640688 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23266-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The oral microbiota is emerging as an influential factor of host physiology and disease state. Factors influencing oral microbiota composition have not been well characterised. In particular, there is a lack of population-based studies. We undertook a large hypothesis-free study of the saliva microbiota, considering potential influential factors of host health (frailty; diet; periodontal disease), demographics (age; sex; BMI) and sample processing (storage time), in a sample (n = 679) of the TwinsUK cohort of adult twins. Alpha and beta diversity of the saliva microbiota was associated most strongly with frailty (alpha diversity: β = -0.16, Q = 0.003, Observed; β = -0.16, Q = 0.002, Shannon; β = -0.16, Q = 0.003, Simpson; Beta diversity: Q = 0.002, Bray Curtis dissimilarity) and age (alpha diversity: β = 0.15, Q = 0.006, Shannon; β = 0.12, Q = 0.003, Simpson; beta diversity: Q = 0.002, Bray Curtis dissimilarity; Q = 0.032, Weighted UniFrac) in multivariate models including age, frailty, sex, BMI, frailty and diet, and adjustment for multiple testing. Those with a more advanced age were more likely to be dissimilar in the saliva microbiota composition than younger participants (P = 5.125e-06, ANOVA). In subsample analyses, including consideration of periodontal disease (total n = 138, periodontal disease n = 66), the association with frailty remained for alpha diversity (Q = 0.002, Observed ASVs; Q = 0.04 Shannon Index), but not beta diversity, whilst age was not demonstrated to associate with alpha or beta diversity in this subsample, potentially due to insufficient statistical power. Length of time that samples were stored prior to sequencing was associated with beta diversity (Q = 0.002, Bray Curtis dissimilarity). Six bacterial taxa were associated with age after adjustment for frailty and diet. Of the factors studied, frailty and age emerged as the most influential with regards to saliva microbiota composition. Whilst age and frailty are correlates, the associations were independent of each other, giving precedence to both biological and chronological ageing as processes of potential importance when considering saliva microbiota composition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Philippa M Wells
- Department of Twin Research, St Thomas Hospital, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Daniel D Sprockett
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Ruth C E Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research, St Thomas Hospital, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Yuko Kurushima
- Department of Twin Research, St Thomas Hospital, King's College London, London, UK
| | - David A Relman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Infectious Diseases Section, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA
| | - Frances M K Williams
- Department of Twin Research, St Thomas Hospital, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Claire J Steves
- Department of Twin Research, St Thomas Hospital, King's College London, London, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Thompson EJ, Stafford J, Moltrecht B, Huggins CF, Kwong ASF, Shaw RJ, Zaninotto P, Patel K, Silverwood RJ, McElroy E, Pierce M, Green MJ, Bowyer RCE, Maddock J, Tilling K, Katikireddi SV, Ploubidis GB, Porteous DJ, Timpson N, Chaturvedi N, Steves CJ, Patalay P. Psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and life satisfaction following COVID-19 infection: evidence from 11 UK longitudinal population studies. Lancet Psychiatry 2022; 9:894-906. [PMID: 36244359 PMCID: PMC9560745 DOI: 10.1016/s2215-0366(22)00307-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence on associations between COVID-19 illness and mental health is mixed. We aimed to examine whether COVID-19 is associated with deterioration in mental health while considering pre-pandemic mental health, time since infection, subgroup differences, and confirmation of infection via self-reported test and serology data. METHODS We obtained data from 11 UK longitudinal studies with repeated measures of mental health (psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and life satisfaction; mental health scales were standardised within each study across time) and COVID-19 status between April, 2020, and April, 2021. We included participants with information available on at least one mental health outcome measure and self-reported COVID-19 status (suspected or test-confirmed) during the pandemic, and a subset with serology-confirmed COVID-19. Furthermore, only participants who had available data on a minimum set of covariates, including age, sex, and pre-pandemic mental health were included. We investigated associations between having ever had COVID-19 and mental health outcomes using generalised estimating equations. We examined whether associations varied by age, sex, ethnicity, education, and pre-pandemic mental health, whether the strength of the association varied according to time since infection, and whether associations differed between self-reported versus confirmed (by test or serology) infection. FINDINGS Between 21 Dec, 2021, and July 11, 2022, we analysed data from 54 442 participants (ranging from a minimum age of 16 years in one study to a maximum category of 90 years and older in another; including 33 200 [61·0%] women and 21 242 [39·0%] men) from 11 longitudinal UK studies. Of 40 819 participants with available ethnicity data, 36 802 (90·2%) were White. Pooled estimates of standardised differences in outcomes suggested associations between COVID-19 and subsequent psychological distress (0·10 [95% CI 0·06 to 0·13], I2=42·8%), depression (0·08 [0·05 to 0·10], I2=20·8%), anxiety (0·08 [0·05 to 0·10], I2=0·0%), and lower life satisfaction (-0·06 [-0·08 to -0·04], I2=29·2%). We found no evidence of interactions between COVID-19 and sex, education, ethnicity, or pre-pandemic mental health. Associations did not vary substantially between time since infection of less than 4 weeks, 4-12 weeks, and more than 12 weeks, and were present in all age groups, with some evidence of stronger effects in those aged 50 years and older. Participants who self-reported COVID-19 but had negative serology had worse mental health outcomes for all measures than those without COVID-19 based on serology and self-report. Participants who had positive serology but did not self-report COVID-19 did not show association with mental health outcomes. INTERPRETATION Self-reporting COVID-19 was longitudinally associated with deterioration in mental health and life satisfaction. Our findings emphasise the need for greater post-infection mental health service provision, given the substantial prevalence of COVID-19 in the UK and worldwide. FUNDING UK Medical Research Council and UK National Institute for Health and Care Research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ellen J Thompson
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Jean Stafford
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Bettina Moltrecht
- Centre for Longitudinal Studies, University College London, London, UK
| | - Charlotte F Huggins
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Alex S F Kwong
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Richard J Shaw
- MRC/CSO Social & Public Health Sciences Unit, School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Paola Zaninotto
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Kishan Patel
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Eoin McElroy
- School of Psychology, Ulster University, Ulster, UK
| | - Matthias Pierce
- Division of Psychology and Mental Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Michael J Green
- MRC/CSO Social & Public Health Sciences Unit, School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Ruth C E Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Jane Maddock
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, University College London, London, UK
| | - Kate Tilling
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - S Vittal Katikireddi
- MRC/CSO Social & Public Health Sciences Unit, School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | | | - David J Porteous
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Nic Timpson
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Nish Chaturvedi
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, University College London, London, UK
| | - Claire J Steves
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Praveetha Patalay
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, University College London, London, UK; Centre for Longitudinal Studies, University College London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Jacques Wels, Booth C, Wielgoszewska B, Green MJ, Di Gessa G, Huggins CF, Griffith GJ, Kwong ASF, Bowyer RCE, Maddock J, Patalay P, Silverwood RJ, Fitzsimons E, Shaw R, Thompson EJ, Steptoe A, Hughes A, Chaturvedi N, Steves CJ, Katikireddi SV, Ploubidis GB. Mental and social wellbeing and the UK coronavirus job retention scheme: Evidence from nine longitudinal studies. Soc Sci Med 2022; 308:115226. [PMID: 35932537 PMCID: PMC9296227 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has led to major economic disruptions. In March 2020, the UK implemented the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme - known as furlough - to minimize the impact of job losses. We investigate associations between change in employment status and mental and social wellbeing during the early stages of the pandemic. METHODS Data were from 25,670 respondents, aged 17-66, across nine UK longitudinal studies. Furlough and other employment changes were defined using employment status pre-pandemic and during the first lockdown (April-June 2020). Mental and social wellbeing outcomes included psychological distress, life satisfaction, self-rated health, social contact, and loneliness. Study-specific modified Poisson regression estimates, adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics and pre-pandemic mental and social wellbeing, were pooled using meta-analysis. Associations were also stratified by sex, age, education, and household composition. RESULTS Compared to those who remained working, furloughed workers were at greater risk of psychological distress (adjusted risk ratio, ARR = 1.12; 95%CI: 0.97, 1.29), low life satisfaction (ARR = 1.14; 95%CI: 1.07, 1.22), loneliness (ARR = 1.12; 95%CI: 1.01, 1.23), and poor self-rated health (ARR = 1.26; 95%CI: 1.05, 1.50). Nevertheless, compared to furloughed workers, those who became unemployed had greater risk of psychological distress (ARR = 1.30; 95%CI: 1.12, 1.52), low life satisfaction (ARR = 1.16; 95%CI: 0.98, 1.38), and loneliness (ARR = 1.67; 95%CI: 1.08, 2.59). Effects were not uniform across all sub-groups. CONCLUSIONS During the early stages of the pandemic, those furloughed had increased risk of poor mental and social wellbeing, but furloughed workers fared better than those who became unemployed, suggesting that furlough may have partly mitigated poorer outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jacques Wels
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, University College London, UK.
| | - Charlotte Booth
- Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Social Research Institute, University College London, UK
| | - Bożena Wielgoszewska
- Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Social Research Institute, University College London, UK
| | - Michael J Green
- MRC/CSO Social & Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, UK
| | - Giorgio Di Gessa
- Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, University College London, UK
| | | | | | - Alex S F Kwong
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, UK
| | - Ruth C E Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, UK
| | - Jane Maddock
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, University College London, UK
| | - Praveetha Patalay
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, University College London, UK; Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Social Research Institute, University College London, UK
| | - Richard J Silverwood
- Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Social Research Institute, University College London, UK
| | - Emla Fitzsimons
- Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Social Research Institute, University College London, UK
| | - Richard Shaw
- MRC/CSO Social & Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, UK
| | - Ellen J Thompson
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, UK
| | - Andrew Steptoe
- Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, University College London, UK
| | - Alun Hughes
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, University College London, UK
| | - Nishi Chaturvedi
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, University College London, UK
| | - Claire J Steves
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, UK
| | | | - George B Ploubidis
- Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Social Research Institute, University College London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Thompson EJ, Williams DM, Walker AJ, Mitchell RE, Niedzwiedz CL, Yang TC, Huggins CF, Kwong ASF, Silverwood RJ, Di Gessa G, Bowyer RCE, Northstone K, Hou B, Green MJ, Dodgeon B, Doores KJ, Duncan EL, Williams FMK, Steptoe A, Porteous DJ, McEachan RRC, Tomlinson L, Goldacre B, Patalay P, Ploubidis GB, Katikireddi SV, Tilling K, Rentsch CT, Timpson NJ, Chaturvedi N, Steves CJ. Long COVID burden and risk factors in 10 UK longitudinal studies and electronic health records. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3528. [PMID: 35764621 PMCID: PMC9240035 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30836-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 179] [Impact Index Per Article: 89.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The frequency of, and risk factors for, long COVID are unclear among community-based individuals with a history of COVID-19. To elucidate the burden and possible causes of long COVID in the community, we coordinated analyses of survey data from 6907 individuals with self-reported COVID-19 from 10 UK longitudinal study (LS) samples and 1.1 million individuals with COVID-19 diagnostic codes in electronic healthcare records (EHR) collected by spring 2021. Proportions of presumed COVID-19 cases in LS reporting any symptoms for 12+ weeks ranged from 7.8% and 17% (with 1.2 to 4.8% reporting debilitating symptoms). Increasing age, female sex, white ethnicity, poor pre-pandemic general and mental health, overweight/obesity, and asthma were associated with prolonged symptoms in both LS and EHR data, but findings for other factors, such as cardio-metabolic parameters, were inconclusive.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ellen J Thompson
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Dylan M Williams
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at UCL, University College London, London, UK.
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Alex J Walker
- Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxfort, UK
| | - Ruth E Mitchell
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | | | - Tiffany C Yang
- Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford, BD9 6RJ, UK
| | - Charlotte F Huggins
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Alex S F Kwong
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Richard J Silverwood
- Centre for Longitudinal Studies, UCL Social Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - Giorgio Di Gessa
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Ruth C E Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Kate Northstone
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Bo Hou
- Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford, BD9 6RJ, UK
| | - Michael J Green
- MRC/CSO Social & Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Brian Dodgeon
- Centre for Longitudinal Studies, UCL Social Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - Katie J Doores
- School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Emma L Duncan
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Frances M K Williams
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Andrew Steptoe
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - David J Porteous
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Rosemary R C McEachan
- Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford, BD9 6RJ, UK
| | - Laurie Tomlinson
- Electronic Health Records Research Group, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Ben Goldacre
- Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxfort, UK
| | - Praveetha Patalay
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at UCL, University College London, London, UK
- Centre for Longitudinal Studies, UCL Social Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - George B Ploubidis
- Centre for Longitudinal Studies, UCL Social Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Kate Tilling
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Christopher T Rentsch
- Electronic Health Records Research Group, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Nicholas J Timpson
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Nishi Chaturvedi
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at UCL, University College London, London, UK
| | - Claire J Steves
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.
- Department of Ageing and Health, Guys and St Thomas's NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Mesnage R, Bowyer RCE, El Balkhi S, Saint-Marcoux F, Gardere A, Ducarmon QR, Geelen AR, Zwittink RD, Tsoukalas D, Sarandi E, Paramera EI, Spector T, Steves CJ, Antoniou MN. Impacts of dietary exposure to pesticides on faecal microbiome metabolism in adult twins. Environ Health 2022; 21:46. [PMID: 35501856 PMCID: PMC9063241 DOI: 10.1186/s12940-022-00860-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dietary habits have a profound influence on the metabolic activity of gut microorganisms and their influence on health. Concerns have been raised as to whether the consumption of foodstuffs contaminated with pesticides can contribute to the development of chronic disease by affecting the gut microbiome. We performed the first pesticide biomonitoring survey of the British population, and subsequently used the results to perform the first pesticide association study on gut microbiome composition and function from the TwinsUK registry. METHODS Dietary exposure of 186 common insecticide, herbicide, or fungicide residues and the faecal microbiome in 65 twin pairs in the UK was investigated. We evaluated if dietary habits, geographic location, or the rural/urban environment, are associated with the excretion of pesticide residues. The composition and metabolic activity of faecal microbiota was evaluated using shotgun metagenomics and metabolomics respectively. We performed a targeted urine metabolomics analysis in order to evaluate whether pesticide urinary excretion was also associated with physiological changes. RESULTS Pyrethroid and/or organophosphorus insecticide residues were found in all urine samples, while the herbicide glyphosate was found in 53% of individuals. Food frequency questionnaires showed that residues from organophosphates were higher with increased consumption of fruit and vegetables. A total of 34 associations between pesticide residue concentrations and faecal metabolite concentrations were detected. Glyphosate excretion was positively associated with an overall increased bacterial species richness, as well as to fatty acid metabolites and phosphate levels. The insecticide metabolite Br2CA, reflecting deltamethrin exposure, was positively associated with the phytoestrogens enterodiol and enterolactone, and negatively associated with some N-methyl amino acids. Urine metabolomics performed on a subset of samples did not reveal associations with the excretion of pesticide residues. CONCLUSIONS The consumption of conventionally grown fruit and vegetables leads to higher ingestion of pesticides with unknown long-term health consequences. Our results highlight the need for future dietary intervention studies to understand effects of pesticide exposure on the gut microbiome and possible health consequences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robin Mesnage
- Gene Expression and Therapy Group, King's College London, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Guy's Hospital, London, SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Ruth C E Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Souleiman El Balkhi
- Service de pharmacologie, toxicologie et pharmacovigilance, UF Toxicologie analytique environnementale et santé au travail, CHU de Limoges, Limoges, France
| | - Franck Saint-Marcoux
- Service de pharmacologie, toxicologie et pharmacovigilance, UF Toxicologie analytique environnementale et santé au travail, CHU de Limoges, Limoges, France
| | - Arnaud Gardere
- Service de pharmacologie, toxicologie et pharmacovigilance, UF Toxicologie analytique environnementale et santé au travail, CHU de Limoges, Limoges, France
| | - Quinten Raymond Ducarmon
- Center for Microbiome Analyses and Therapeutics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Anoecim Robecca Geelen
- Center for Microbiome Analyses and Therapeutics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Romy Daniëlle Zwittink
- Center for Microbiome Analyses and Therapeutics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Dimitris Tsoukalas
- Metabolomic Medicine Clinic, Health Clinics for Autoimmune and Chronic Diseases, 10674, Athens, Greece
| | - Evangelia Sarandi
- Metabolomic Medicine Clinic, Health Clinics for Autoimmune and Chronic Diseases, 10674, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Timothy Spector
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Claire J Steves
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Michael N Antoniou
- Gene Expression and Therapy Group, King's College London, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Guy's Hospital, London, SE1 9RT, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Bowyer RCE, Twohig-Bennett C, Coombes E, Wells PM, Spector TD, Jones AP, Steves CJ. Microbiota composition is moderately associated with greenspace composition in a UK cohort of twins. Sci Total Environ 2022; 813:152321. [PMID: 34915018 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to natural environments, known as greenspace, appears to positively influence health, yet the mechanisms are unclear. Given that gut microbiota are associated with inflammatory disorders more prevalent in urban areas and individuals with lower greenspace exposure, microbiota may act as a mediator between greenspace and health. Using 2443 participants of the TwinsUK cohort, microbiota differences were compared in relation to rural/urban living and with quantiles of area-level greenspace at three different neighbourhood distances: 800 m, 3000 m and 5000 m. Using microbiota data captured from faecal samples using 16S rRNA marker gene sequencing, small compositional differences in association with 3000 m greenspace (p = 0.003) in models adjusted for confounders of microbiota variance (sequencing depth, antibiotics use, body mass index, frailty, age, diet, region and socioeconomic variables) were observed. Differences in abundances of genus were observed for all measures of greenspace in adjusted models; a key pathogenic genus was increased in abundance in association with urbanicity (Escherichia/Shigella, logFC = 0.73742, padj <0.001). Further, utilising the twin structure, within-pair differences in microbiota composition were compared and associations with 800 m greenspace observed (factor level significance in association with greatest difference, β = 0.08, p = 0.0162) as were differences in Escherichia/Shigella. The microbiota signature of those with a greater exposure to greenspace, but not necessarily explicitly rural individuals, was distinct from other individuals, suggesting microbiota as a potential mediator for greenspace and health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ruth C E Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK.
| | | | - Emma Coombes
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK.
| | - Philippa M Wells
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK.
| | - Tim D Spector
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK.
| | - Andy P Jones
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK.
| | - Claire J Steves
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK; Department of Ageing and Health, St Thomas' Hospital, 9th floor, North Wing, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Le Roy CI, Kurilshikov A, Leeming ER, Visconti A, Bowyer RCE, Menni C, Fachi M, Koutnikova H, Veiga P, Zhernakova A, Derrien M, Spector TD. Correction to: Yoghurt consumption is associated with changes in the composition of the human gut microbiome and metabolome. BMC Microbiol 2022; 22:66. [PMID: 35227199 PMCID: PMC8883623 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-022-02482-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Ivanne Le Roy
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Alexander Kurilshikov
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Emily R Leeming
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Alessia Visconti
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Ruth C E Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Cristina Menni
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Mario Fachi
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | | | | | - Alexandra Zhernakova
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Tim D Spector
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Leeming ER, Mompeo O, Turk P, Bowyer RCE, Louca P, Johnson AJ, Spector TD, Le Roy C, Gibson R. Characterisation, procedures and heritability of acute dietary intake in the Twins UK cohort: an observational study. Nutr J 2022; 21:13. [PMID: 35220977 PMCID: PMC8883626 DOI: 10.1186/s12937-022-00763-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Estimated food records (EFR) are a common dietary assessment method. This investigation aimed to; (1) define the reporting quality of the EFR, (2) characterise acute dietary intake and eating behaviours, (3) describe diet heritability. Methods A total of 1974 one-day EFR were collected from 1858 participants in the TwinsUK cohort between 2012 and 2017. EFR were assessed using a six-point scoring system to determine reporting quality. The frequency and co-occurrence of food items was examined using word clouds and co-occurrence networks. The impact of eating behaviours on weight, BMI and nutrient intake were explored using mixed-effect linear regression models. Finally, diet heritability was estimated using ACE modelling. Results We observed that 75% of EFR are of acceptable reporting quality (score > 5). Black tea and semi-skimmed milk were the most consumed items, on an individual basis (respectively 8.27, 6.25%) and paired (0.21%) as co-occurring items. Breakfast consumption had a significantly (p = 5.99 × 10− 7) greater impact on energy (kcal) (mean 1874.67 (±SD 532.42)) than skipping breakfast (1700.45 (±SD 620.98)), however only length of eating window was significantly associated with body weight (kg) (effect size 0.21 (±SD 0.10), p = 0.05) and BMI (effect size 0.08 (±SD 0.04), p = 0.04) after adjustment for relevant covariates. Lastly, we reported that both length of eating window (h2 = 33%, CI 0.24; 0.41), and breakfast consumption (h2 = 11%, CI 0.02; 0.21) were weakly heritable. Conclusions EFR describing acute dietary intake allow for eating behaviour characterisation and can supplement habitual diet intake assessments. Novel findings of heritability warrant further investigation. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12937-022-00763-3.
Collapse
|
14
|
Le Roy CI, Kurilshikov A, Leeming ER, Visconti A, Bowyer RCE, Menni C, Fachi M, Koutnikova H, Veiga P, Zhernakova A, Derrien M, Spector TD. Yoghurt consumption is associated with changes in the composition of the human gut microbiome and metabolome. BMC Microbiol 2022; 22:39. [PMID: 35114943 PMCID: PMC8812230 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-021-02364-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Yoghurt contains live bacteria that could contribute via modulation of the gut microbiota to its reported beneficial effects such as reduced body weight gain and lower incidence of type 2 diabetes. To date, the association between yoghurt consumption and the composition of the gut microbiota is underexplored. Here we used clinical variables, metabolomics, 16S rRNA and shotgun metagenomic sequencing data collected on over 1000 predominantly female UK twins to define the link between the gut microbiota and yoghurt-associated health benefits. RESULTS According to food frequency questionnaires (FFQ), 73% of subjects consumed yoghurt. Consumers presented a healthier diet pattern (healthy eating index: beta = 2.17 ± 0.34; P = 2.72x10-10) and improved metabolic health characterised by reduced visceral fat (beta = -28.18 ± 11.71 g; P = 0.01). According to 16S rRNA gene analyses and whole shotgun metagenomic sequencing approach consistent taxonomic variations were observed with yoghurt consumption. More specifically, we identified higher abundance of species used as yoghurt starters Streptococcus thermophilus (beta = 0.41 ± 0.051; P = 6.14x10-12) and sometimes added Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis (beta = 0.30 ± 0.052; P = 1.49x10-8) in the gut of yoghurt consumers. Replication in 1103 volunteers from the LifeLines-DEEP cohort confirmed the increase of S. thermophilus among yoghurt consumers. Using food records collected the day prior to faecal sampling we showed than an increase in these two yoghurt bacteria could be transient. Metabolomics analysis revealed that B. animalis subsp. lactis was associated with 13 faecal metabolites including a 3-hydroxyoctanoic acid, known to be involved in the regulation of gut inflammation. CONCLUSIONS Yoghurt consumption is associated with reduced visceral fat mass and changes in gut microbiome including transient increase of yoghurt-contained species (i.e. S. thermophilus and B. lactis).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Ivanne Le Roy
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, London, SE1 7EH UK
| | - Alexander Kurilshikov
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Emily R. Leeming
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, London, SE1 7EH UK
| | - Alessia Visconti
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, London, SE1 7EH UK
| | - Ruth C. E. Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, London, SE1 7EH UK
| | - Cristina Menni
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, London, SE1 7EH UK
| | - Mario Fachi
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, London, SE1 7EH UK
| | | | | | - Alexandra Zhernakova
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Tim D. Spector
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, London, SE1 7EH UK
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Bowyer RCE, Abbasian G, García MP, Anastasiou A, Lachance G, Thompson EJ, Hart D, Dowd JB, Steves CJ. Diverging destinies: 'social' data within the TwinsUK cohort. Wellcome Open Res 2022; 7:19. [PMID: 37811312 PMCID: PMC10558976 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.17139.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Twins offer social scientists a unique opportunity to understand the interplay of social factors and physical and mental well-being. TwinsUK is the largest UK registry of adult mono- and dy-zygotic twins, but most of the research that utilises the cohorts' data to date has focused on the genetic underpinnings of complex disease. Methods: Following formal unstructured discussions with social scientists we identified key areas of research interest and annotated the historical data collections in TwinsUK where they could be applied to these research aims. Results: We present a summary of variables identified as of key interest to researchers from the social science sphere, spanning the following domains: 1: Parenting, child rearing and pregnancies; 2: Working habits and patterns; 3: Sleeping habits and patterns; 4: Social support; 5: Negative life events; 6: Spousal relationships. Conclusions: TwinsUK has a wide range of genetic and health data that would allow investigation of research questions focusing on these domains.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ruth C E Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Golboo Abbasian
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - María Paz García
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Andrew Anastasiou
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Genevieve Lachance
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ellen J Thompson
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Deborah Hart
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Jennifer B Dowd
- Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, Department of Sociology, University of Oxford, Oxford, Ox1 1JD, UK
| | - Claire J Steves
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Penfold RS, Zazzara MB, Österdahl MF, Welch C, Ni Lochlainn M, Freidin MB, Bowyer RCE, Thompson E, Antonelli M, Tan YXR, Sudre CH, Modat M, Murray B, Wolf J, Ourselin S, Veenith T, Lord JM, Steves CJ. Individual factors including age, BMI and heritable factors underlie temperature variation in sickness and in health: an observational, multi-cohort study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2021; 77:1890-1897. [PMID: 34609487 PMCID: PMC8513412 DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glab295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Aging affects immunity, potentially altering fever response to infection. We assess effects of biological variables on basal temperature, and during COVID-19 infection, proposing an updated temperature threshold for older adults ≥65 years. Methods Participants were from 4 cohorts: 1 089 unaffected adult TwinsUK volunteers; 520 adults with emergency admission to a London hospital with RT-PCR confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection; 757 adults with emergency admission to a Birmingham hospital with RT-PCR confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and 3 972 adult community-based COVID Symptom Study participants self-reporting a positive RT-PCR test. Heritability was assessed using saturated and univariate ACE models; mixed-effect and multivariable linear regression examined associations between temperature, age, sex, and body mass index (BMI); multivariable logistic regression examined associations between fever (≥37.8°C) and age; receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to identify temperature threshold for adults ≥ 65 years. Results Among unaffected volunteers, lower BMI (p = .001), and increasing age (p < .001) was associated with lower basal temperature. Basal temperature showed a heritability of 47% (95% confidence interval 18%–57%). In COVID-19+ participants, increasing age was associated with lower temperatures in Birmingham and community-based cohorts (p < .001). For each additional year of age, participants were 1% less likely to demonstrate a fever ≥37.8°C (OR 0.99; p < .001). Combining healthy and COVID-19+ participants, a temperature of 37.4°C in adults ≥65 years had similar sensitivity and specificity to 37.8°C in adults <65 years for discriminating infection. Conclusions Aging affects temperature in health and acute infection, with significant heritability, indicating genetic factors contribute to temperature regulation. Our observations suggest a lower threshold (37.4°C/97.3°F) for identifying fever in older adults ≥65 years.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rose S Penfold
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London.,Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
| | - Maria Beatrice Zazzara
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London.,Department of Gerontology, Neuroscience and Orthopedics, Sacred Heart Catholic University, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Carly Welch
- Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham, B15 2TT, Birmingham, UK
| | - Mary Ni Lochlainn
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London
| | - Maxim B Freidin
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London
| | - Ruth C E Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London
| | - Ellen Thompson
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London
| | - Michela Antonelli
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, SE17EH, London, UK
| | - Yu Xian Rachel Tan
- Department of Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 123 St Stephen Green, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Carole H Sudre
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, SE17EH, London, UK
| | - Marc Modat
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, SE17EH, London, UK
| | - Benjamin Murray
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, SE17EH, London, UK
| | | | - Sebastien Ourselin
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, SE17EH, London, UK
| | - Tonny Veenith
- Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham, B15 2TT, Birmingham, UK
| | - Janet M Lord
- Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham, B15 2TT, Birmingham, UK
| | - Claire J Steves
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Freidin MB, Stalteri MA, Wells PM, Lachance G, Baleanu AF, Bowyer RCE, Kurilshikov A, Zhernakova A, Steves CJ, Williams FMK. An association between chronic widespread pain and the gut microbiome. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2021; 60:3727-3737. [PMID: 33331911 PMCID: PMC8328510 DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/keaa847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain (CWP) is a characteristic symptom of fibromyalgia, which has been shown to be associated with an altered gut microbiome. Microbiome studies to date have not examined the milder CWP phenotype specifically nor have they explored the role of raised BMI. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the microbiome is abnormal in CWP. METHODS CWP was assessed using a standardized screening questionnaire in female volunteers from the TwinsUK cohort including 113 CWP cases and 1623 controls. The stool microbiome was characterized using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and amplicon sequence variants, and associations with CWP examined using linear mixed-effects models adjusting for BMI, age, diet, family relatedness and technical factors. RESULTS Alpha diversity was significantly lower in CWP cases than controls (Mann-Whitney test, P-values 2.3e-04 and 1.2e-02, for Shannon and Simpson indices respectively). The species Coprococcus comes was significantly depleted in CWP cases (Padj = 3.04e-03). A genome-wide association study (GWAS) performed for C. comes in TwinsUK followed by meta-analysis with three Dutch cohorts (total n = 3521) resulted in nine suggestive regions, with the most convincing on chromosome 4 near the TRAM1L1 gene (rs76957229, P = 7.4e-8). A Mendelian randomization study based on the results of the GWAS did not support a causal role for C. comes on the development of CWP. CONCLUSIONS We have demonstrated reduced diversity in the microbiome in CWP, indicating an involvement of the gut microbiota in CWP; prospectively the microbiome may offer therapeutic opportunities for this condition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maxim B Freidin
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Maria A Stalteri
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Philippa M Wells
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Genevieve Lachance
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Andrei-Florin Baleanu
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ruth C E Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Alexander Kurilshikov
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Alexandra Zhernakova
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Claire J Steves
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Frances M K Williams
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Nag A, Kurushima Y, Bowyer RCE, Wells PM, Weiss S, Pietzner M, Kocher T, Raffler J, Völker U, Mangino M, Spector TD, Milburn MV, Kastenmüller G, Mohney RP, Suhre K, Menni C, Steves CJ. Genome-wide scan identifies novel genetic loci regulating salivary metabolite levels. Hum Mol Genet 2021; 29:864-875. [PMID: 31960908 PMCID: PMC7104674 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddz308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2019] [Revised: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Saliva, as a biofluid, is inexpensive and non-invasive to obtain, and provides a vital tool to investigate oral health and its interaction with systemic health conditions. There is growing interest in salivary biomarkers for systemic diseases, notably cardiovascular disease. Whereas hundreds of genetic loci have been shown to be involved in the regulation of blood metabolites, leading to significant insights into the pathogenesis of complex human diseases, little is known about the impact of host genetics on salivary metabolites. Here we report the first genome-wide association study exploring 476 salivary metabolites in 1419 subjects from the TwinsUK cohort (discovery phase), followed by replication in the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-2) cohort. A total of 14 distinct locus-metabolite associations were identified in the discovery phase, most of which were replicated in SHIP-2. While only a limited number of the loci that are known to regulate blood metabolites were also associated with salivary metabolites in our study, we identified several novel saliva-specific locus-metabolite associations, including associations for the AGMAT (with the metabolites 4-guanidinobutanoate and beta-guanidinopropanoate), ATP13A5 (with the metabolite creatinine) and DPYS (with the metabolites 3-ureidopropionate and 3-ureidoisobutyrate) loci. Our study suggests that there may be regulatory pathways of particular relevance to the salivary metabolome. In addition, some of our findings may have clinical significance, such as the utility of the pyrimidine (uracil) degradation metabolites in predicting 5-fluorouracil toxicity and the role of the agmatine pathway metabolites as biomarkers of oral health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Nag
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London SE1 7EH, UK.,Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Yuko Kurushima
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Ruth C E Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Philippa M Wells
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Stefan Weiss
- Interfaculty Institute of Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald & University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Maik Pietzner
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Thomas Kocher
- Department of Restorative Dentistry, Periodontology, Endodontology, and Preventive and Pediatric Dentistry, University Medicine Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Johannes Raffler
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Uwe Völker
- Interfaculty Institute of Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald & University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Massimo Mangino
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Timothy D Spector
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Michael V Milburn
- Discovery and Translational Sciences, Metabolon, Inc., Morrisville, NC 27560, USA
| | - Gabi Kastenmüller
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Robert P Mohney
- Discovery and Translational Sciences, Metabolon, Inc., Morrisville, NC 27560, USA
| | - Karsten Suhre
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Doha 24144, Qatar
| | - Cristina Menni
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Claire J Steves
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London SE1 7EH, UK
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Bowyer RCE, Varsavsky T, Thompson EJ, Sudre CH, Murray BAK, Freidin MB, Yarand D, Ganesh S, Capdevila J, Bakker E, Cardoso MJ, Davies R, Wolf J, Spector TD, Ourselin S, Steves CJ, Menni C. Geo-social gradients in predicted COVID-19 prevalence in Great Britain: results from 1 960 242 users of the COVID-19 Symptoms Study app. Thorax 2021; 76:723-725. [PMID: 33376145 PMCID: PMC8223682 DOI: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2020-215119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the geographical distribution of COVID-19 through the general population is key to the provision of adequate healthcare services. Using self-reported data from 1 960 242 unique users in Great Britain (GB) of the COVID-19 Symptom Study app, we estimated that, concurrent to the GB government sanctioning lockdown, COVID-19 was distributed across GB, with evidence of 'urban hotspots'. We found a geo-social gradient associated with predicted disease prevalence suggesting urban areas and areas of higher deprivation are most affected. Our results demonstrate use of self-reported symptoms data to provide focus on geographical areas with identified risk factors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Thomas Varsavsky
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | - Carole H Sudre
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, University College London, London, UK
| | - Benjamin A K Murray
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | - M Jorge Cardoso
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | | | | | - Sebastien Ourselin
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
20
|
Cox NJ, Bowyer RCE, Ni Lochlainn M, Wells PM, Roberts HC, Steves CJ. The composition of the gut microbiome differs among community dwelling older people with good and poor appetite. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle 2021; 12:368-377. [PMID: 33580637 PMCID: PMC8061352 DOI: 10.1002/jcsm.12683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anorexia of ageing is common and important in the development of sarcopenia in older individuals. Links have been proposed between the gut microbiota and sarcopenia. Disordered gut function is also recognized in anorexia of ageing, but how this may relate to resident gut microbiota is unexplored. Understanding this relationship may provide a basis for novel interventions for anorexia of ageing and sarcopenia. This study explores compositional differences of the gut microbiota between community dwelling healthy older adults with good or poor appetite, and associated differences in sarcopenia. METHODS We assessed appetite by the Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire (SNAQ) in members of the TwinsUK cohort aged ≥65 years. Using a pool of 776 individuals with existing microbiome data estimated from 16S rRNA sequencing data, we identified 102 cases (SNAQ score < 14) (95% female, mean age 68 years) matched to controls (SNAQ > 14) on body mass index, gender, age, diet, calorie consumption, frailty, antibiotic use, socio-economic status, and technical variables to minimize confounding microbiota associations. Species abundance and diversity, compositional differences, and paired differences in taxa abundance were compared between cases and controls. Additionally, we compared case and controls for sarcopenia as measured by muscle mass (appendicular lean mass/height2 ) and strength (chair stand time in seconds). RESULTS Cases with poor appetite had reduced species richness and diversity of their gut microbiome (adjusted OBSERVED: beta = -0.2, P < 0.001; adjusted SHANNON: beta = -0.17, P = 0.0135), significant compositional differences (adjusted non-parametric multivariate analysis of variance, P = 0.0095), and significant differences in taxa abundance including reduction of genus Lachnospira (logFC = -1.015, q = 0.023). In all-female subgroup analysis, cases with poor appetite demonstrated reduction in muscle strength (11.03 s vs. 9.26 s, P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS This study is the first to observe differences in the composition of gut microbiota between healthy community dwelling older individuals with good and poor appetite. We found female individuals with reduced muscle strength had poor appetite compared with those with normal strength. These associations require further examination to understand causality and mechanisms of interaction, to inform potential strategies targeting the gut microbiota as a novel intervention for anorexia of ageing and sarcopenia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Natalie J Cox
- Academic Geriatric Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Tremona Road, Southampton, UK.,NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK
| | - Ruth C E Bowyer
- Department of Twins Research and Genetic Epidemiology, Kings College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London, UK
| | - Mary Ni Lochlainn
- Department of Twins Research and Genetic Epidemiology, Kings College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London, UK
| | - Philippa M Wells
- Department of Twins Research and Genetic Epidemiology, Kings College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London, UK
| | - Helen C Roberts
- Academic Geriatric Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Tremona Road, Southampton, UK.,NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK.,NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) Wessex, Southampton, UK
| | - Claire J Steves
- Department of Twins Research and Genetic Epidemiology, Kings College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London, UK.,Department of Ageing and Health, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Zazzara MB, Wells PM, Bowyer RCE, Lochlainn MN, Thompson EJ, Penfold RS, Steves CJ. 103 Periodontal Health and Sarcopenia: Cross-Sectional Evidence From A Cohort of 2040 Twin Volunteers. Age Ageing 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afab030.64] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Introduction
Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the periodontium, ultimately leading to looseness and/or loss of teeth. Sarcopenia refers to age-related reduction in muscle mass and strength. Similar to periodontitis, chronic low-grade inflammation is thought to play a key role in its development. In addition, both increase in prevalence with advancing age. Despite known associations with other diseases involving a dysregulated inflammatory response, for example rheumatoid arthritis,, the relationship between periodontitis and sarcopenia, and whether they could be driven by similar processes, remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to explore the association between periodontitis and sarcopenia.
Methods
Observational study of 2040 adult volunteers [age 67.18 (12.17)] enrolled in the TwinsUK cohort study. Presence of tooth mobility and number of teeth lost were used to assess periodontal health. A binary variable was created to define periodontitis. Measurements of muscle strength, muscle quality/quantity and physical performance were used to assess sarcopenia. A categorical variable was created according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP2) consensus, to define sarcopenia (1: probable; 2: positive; 3: severe). Generalised linear mixed model analysis used on complete cases and age-matched (n = 1,288) samples to ascertain associations between periodontitis and sarcopenia.
Results
No significant association was found between periodontitis and sarcopenia in both the complete cases analysis and age-matched analysis. Results were consistent when analysis was adjusted for potential confounders including body mass index, frailty index, Mini Mental State Examination smoking, nutritional status and educational level.
Conclusions
This study found no significant association between periodontitis and sarcopenia in a cohort of 2040 adults. Although both periodontitis and sarcopenia have been linked to a dysregulated immune response and demonstrate an increase in prevalence with increasing age, our work is inconclusive due to the plethora of possible aetiopathogenetic pathways.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M B Zazzara
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London UK
- Department of Gerontology, Neuroscience and Orthopedics, Sacred Heart Catholic University, Rome, Italy
| | - P M Wells
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London UK
| | - R C E Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London UK
| | - M N Lochlainn
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London UK
| | - E J Thompson
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London UK
| | - R S Penfold
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London UK
| | - C J Steves
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London UK
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Penfold RS, Zazzara MB, Roberts AL, Lee KA, Dooley H, Sudre CH, Welch C, Bowyer RCE, Visconti A, Mangino M, Freidin MB, El-Sayed Moustafa JS, Small K, Murray B, Modat M, Wolf J, Ourselin S, Martin FC, Steves CJ, Ni Lochlainn M. 144 Probable Delirium is A Presenting Symptom of COVID-19 in Frail, Older Adults: A Study of Hospitalised and Community-Based Cohorts. Age Ageing 2021. [PMCID: PMC7989598 DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afab030.105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Introduction
COVID-19 exhibits a more severe disease course in older adults with frailty. Awareness of atypical presentations is critical to facilitate early disease identification. This study aimed to assess how frailty affects presenting symptoms of COVID-19 in older adults.
Methods
Observational study of two distinct cohorts: (i) Hospitalised patients aged 65 and over; unscheduled admission to a large London teaching hospital between March 1st, 2020-May 5th, 2020; COVID-19 confirmed by RT-PCR of nasopharyngeal swab (n = 322); (ii) Community-based adults aged 65 and over enrolled in the COVID Symptom Study mobile application between March 24th (application launch)-May 8th, 2020; self-report or report-by-proxy data; reported test-positive for COVID-19 (n = 535). Multivariable logistic regression analysis performed on age-matched samples of both cohorts to determine associations between frailty and symptoms of COVID-19 including delirium, fever and cough.
Results
Hospital cohort: there was a significantly higher prevalence of delirium amongst the frail sample, with no difference in fever or cough. Of those presenting with delirium, 10/53 (18.9%) presented with delirium as the only documented symptom. Community-based cohort: there was a significantly higher prevalence of probable delirium in the frail sample, and also of fatigue and shortness of breath. Of those reporting probable delirium, 28/84 (33%) did not report fever or cough.
Conclusions
This study demonstrates a higher prevalence of delirium as a presenting symptom of COVID-19 infection in older adults with frailty compared to their age-matched non-frail counterparts. Clinicians should suspect COVID-19 in frail older adults presenting with delirium. Early detection facilitates infection control measures to mitigate against catastrophic spread and preventable hospitalisations and deaths amongst this population. Our findings emphasise the need for systematic frailty assessment for all acutely ill older patients in both hospital and community settings, as well as systematic evaluation of any change in mental status.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R S Penfold
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH
| | - M B Zazzara
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH
| | - A L Roberts
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH
| | - K A Lee
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH
| | - H Dooley
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH
| | - C H Sudre
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, Westminster Bridge Road, SE17EH, London, UK
| | - C Welch
- Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham, B15 2TT
| | - R C E Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH
| | - A Visconti
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH
| | - M Mangino
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH
| | - M B Freidin
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH
| | - J S El-Sayed Moustafa
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH
| | - K Small
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH
| | - B Murray
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, Westminster Bridge Road, SE17EH, London, UK
| | - M Modat
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, Westminster Bridge Road, SE17EH, London, UK
| | - J Wolf
- Zoe Global Limited, 164 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7RW, UK
| | - S Ourselin
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, Westminster Bridge Road, SE17EH, London, UK
| | - F C Martin
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH
| | - C J Steves
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH
| | - M Ni Lochlainn
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Visconti A, Bataille V, Rossi N, Kluk J, Murphy R, Puig S, Nambi R, Bowyer RCE, Murray B, Bournot A, Wolf J, Ourselin S, Steves CJ, Spector TD, Falchi M. Diagnostic value of cutaneous manifestation of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Br J Dermatol 2021; 184:880-887. [PMID: 33448030 PMCID: PMC8014275 DOI: 10.1111/bjd.19807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Background One of the challenging aspects of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection is its diverse multisystemic disease presentation. Objectives To evaluate the diagnostic value of cutaneous manifestations of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and investigate their duration and timing in relation to other COVID‐19 symptoms. Methods We used data from 336 847 UK users of the COVID Symptom Study app to assess the diagnostic value of body rash or an acral rash in SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, and data from an independent online survey of 11 544 respondents to investigate skin‐specific symptoms and collect their photographs. Results Using data from the app, we show significant association between skin rashes and a positive swab test result (odds ratio 1·67, 95% confidence interval 1·42–1·97). Strikingly, among the respondents of the independent online survey, we found that 17% of SARS‐CoV‐2‐positive cases reported skin rashes as the first presentation, and 21% as the only clinical sign of COVID‐19. Together with the British Association of Dermatologists, we have compiled a catalogue of images of the most common skin manifestations of COVID‐19 from 400 individuals (https://covidskinsigns.com), which we have made publicly available to assist clinicians in recognition of this early clinical feature of COVID‐19. Conclusions Skin rashes cluster with other COVID‐19 symptoms, are predictive of a positive swab test, and occur in a significant number of cases, either alone or before other classical symptoms. Recognizing rashes is important in identifying new and earlier cases of COVID‐19.
What is already known about this topic?
Several studies conducted in hospital settings reported that patients with COVID‐19 presented with unusual skin rashes, including urticarial rashes, vesicular lesions and, less frequently, chilblains in fingers or toes.
What does this study add?
We confirmed, in a community‐based setting that also includes milder forms of the disease, that the presence of a skin rash is predictive of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. We provide a website with photos of skin manifestations to help healthcare professionals in diagnosing COVID‐19. Skin rashes should be taken into account to provide a quick COVID‐19 diagnosis to curb the spread of the disease.
Linked Comment: Naldi. Br J Dermatol 2021; 184:793–794.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Visconti
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - V Bataille
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK.,Dermatology Department, West Herts NHS Trust, Watford, UK
| | - N Rossi
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - J Kluk
- Zoe Global Limited, London, UK
| | - R Murphy
- Dermatology Department, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK
| | - S Puig
- Dermatology Department, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain
| | - R Nambi
- University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust, Derby, UK
| | - R C E Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - B Murray
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | - J Wolf
- Zoe Global Limited, London, UK
| | - S Ourselin
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - C J Steves
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - T D Spector
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - M Falchi
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Sudre CH, Lee KA, Lochlainn MN, Varsavsky T, Murray B, Graham MS, Menni C, Modat M, Bowyer RCE, Nguyen LH, Drew DA, Joshi AD, Ma W, Guo CG, Lo CH, Ganesh S, Buwe A, Pujol JC, du Cadet JL, Visconti A, Freidin MB, El-Sayed Moustafa JS, Falchi M, Davies R, Gomez MF, Fall T, Cardoso MJ, Wolf J, Franks PW, Chan AT, Spector TD, Steves CJ, Ourselin S. Symptom clusters in COVID-19: A potential clinical prediction tool from the COVID Symptom Study app. Sci Adv 2021; 7:7/12/eabd4177. [PMID: 33741586 PMCID: PMC7978420 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abd4177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
As no one symptom can predict disease severity or the need for dedicated medical support in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), we asked whether documenting symptom time series over the first few days informs outcome. Unsupervised time series clustering over symptom presentation was performed on data collected from a training dataset of completed cases enlisted early from the COVID Symptom Study Smartphone application, yielding six distinct symptom presentations. Clustering was validated on an independent replication dataset between 1 and 28 May 2020. Using the first 5 days of symptom logging, the ROC-AUC (receiver operating characteristic - area under the curve) of need for respiratory support was 78.8%, substantially outperforming personal characteristics alone (ROC-AUC 69.5%). Such an approach could be used to monitor at-risk patients and predict medical resource requirements days before they are required.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carole H Sudre
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE17EH, UK.
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at UCL, University College London, London WC1E 7BH, UK
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, London UK
| | - Karla A Lee
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE17EH, UK
| | - Mary Ni Lochlainn
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE17EH, UK
| | - Thomas Varsavsky
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE17EH, UK
| | - Benjamin Murray
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE17EH, UK
| | - Mark S Graham
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE17EH, UK
| | - Cristina Menni
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE17EH, UK
| | - Marc Modat
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE17EH, UK
| | - Ruth C E Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE17EH, UK
| | - Long H Nguyen
- Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, MA, USA
| | - David A Drew
- Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, MA, USA
| | - Amit D Joshi
- Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, MA, USA
| | - Wenjie Ma
- Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, MA, USA
| | - Chuan-Guo Guo
- Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, MA, USA
| | - Chun-Han Lo
- Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, MA, USA
| | | | - Abubakar Buwe
- Zoe Global Limited, 164 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7RW, UK
| | | | | | - Alessia Visconti
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE17EH, UK
| | - Maxim B Freidin
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE17EH, UK
| | - Julia S El-Sayed Moustafa
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE17EH, UK
| | - Mario Falchi
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE17EH, UK
| | - Richard Davies
- Zoe Global Limited, 164 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7RW, UK
| | - Maria F Gomez
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University Diabetes Centre, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Tove Fall
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University Diabetes Centre, Malmö, Sweden
| | - M Jorge Cardoso
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE17EH, UK
| | - Jonathan Wolf
- Zoe Global Limited, 164 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7RW, UK
| | - Paul W Franks
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE17EH, UK
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University Diabetes Centre, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Andrew T Chan
- Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, MA, USA
| | - Tim D Spector
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE17EH, UK
| | - Claire J Steves
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE17EH, UK
| | - Sébastien Ourselin
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE17EH, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Zazzara MB, Penfold RS, Roberts AL, Lee KA, Dooley H, Sudre CH, Welch C, Bowyer RCE, Visconti A, Mangino M, Freidin MB, El-Sayed Moustafa JS, Small KS, Murray B, Modat M, Graham MS, Wolf J, Ourselin S, Martin FC, Steves CJ, Lochlainn MN. Probable delirium is a presenting symptom of COVID-19 in frail, older adults: a cohort study of 322 hospitalised and 535 community-based older adults. Age Ageing 2021; 50:40-48. [PMID: 32986799 PMCID: PMC7543251 DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afaa223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Frailty, increased vulnerability to physiological stressors, is associated with adverse outcomes. COVID-19 exhibits a more severe disease course in older, comorbid adults. Awareness of atypical presentations is critical to facilitate early identification. OBJECTIVE To assess how frailty affects presenting COVID-19 symptoms in older adults. DESIGN Observational cohort study of hospitalised older patients and self-report data for community-based older adults. SETTING Admissions to St Thomas' Hospital, London with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19. Community-based data for older adults using the COVID Symptom Study mobile application. SUBJECTS Hospital cohort: patients aged 65 and over (n = 322); unscheduled hospital admission between 1 March 2020 and 5 May 2020; COVID-19 confirmed by RT-PCR of nasopharyngeal swab. Community-based cohort: participants aged 65 and over enrolled in the COVID Symptom Study (n = 535); reported test-positive for COVID-19 from 24 March (application launch) to 8 May 2020. METHODS Multivariable logistic regression analysis performed on age-matched samples from hospital and community-based cohorts to ascertain association of frailty with symptoms of confirmed COVID-19. RESULTS Hospital cohort: significantly higher prevalence of probable delirium in the frail sample, with no difference in fever or cough. Community-based cohort: significantly higher prevalence of possible delirium in frailer, older adults and fatigue and shortness of breath. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study demonstrating higher prevalence of probable delirium as a COVID-19 symptom in older adults with frailty compared to other older adults. This emphasises need for systematic frailty assessment and screening for delirium in acutely ill older patients in hospital and community settings. Clinicians should suspect COVID-19 in frail adults with delirium.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Beatrice Zazzara
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, UK
- Department of Gerontology, Neuroscience and Orthopedics, Sacred Heart Catholic University, Rome, Italy
| | - Rose S Penfold
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Amy L Roberts
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Karla A Lee
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Hannah Dooley
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Carole H Sudre
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, SE17EH, London, UK
| | - Carly Welch
- Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham, B15 2TT Birmingham, UK
| | - Ruth C E Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Alessia Visconti
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Massimo Mangino
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, UK
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London, London SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Maxim B Freidin
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Julia S El-Sayed Moustafa
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Kerrin S Small
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Benjamin Murray
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, SE17EH, London, UK
| | - Marc Modat
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, SE17EH, London, UK
| | - Mark S Graham
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, SE17EH, London, UK
| | | | - Sebastien Ourselin
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, SE17EH, London, UK
| | - Finbarr C Martin
- Population Health Sciences, King’s College London, SE17EH London, UK
| | - Claire J Steves
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Mary Ni Lochlainn
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Lee KA, Ma W, Sikavi DR, Drew DA, Nguyen LH, Bowyer RCE, Cardoso MJ, Fall T, Freidin MB, Gomez M, Graham M, Guo C, Joshi AD, Kwon S, Lo C, Lochlainn MN, Menni C, Murray B, Mehta R, Song M, Sudre CH, Bataille V, Varsavsky T, Visconti A, Franks PW, Wolf J, Steves CJ, Ourselin S, Spector TD, Chan AT. Cancer and Risk of COVID-19 Through a General Community Survey. Oncologist 2021; 26:e182-e185. [PMID: 32845538 PMCID: PMC7460944 DOI: 10.1634/theoncologist.2020-0572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals with cancer may be at high risk for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and adverse outcomes. However, evidence from large population-based studies examining whether cancer and cancer-related therapy exacerbates the risk of COVID-19 infection is still limited. Data were collected from the COVID Symptom Study smartphone application since March 29 through May 8, 2020. Among 23,266 participants with cancer and 1,784,293 without cancer, we documented 10,404 reports of a positive COVID-19 test. Compared with participants without cancer, those living with cancer had a 60% increased risk of a positive COVID-19 test. Among patients with cancer, current treatment with chemotherapy or immunotherapy was associated with a 2.2-fold increased risk of a positive test. The association between cancer and COVID-19 infection was stronger among participants >65 years and males. Future studies are needed to identify subgroups by tumor types and treatment regimens who are particularly at risk for COVID-19 infection and adverse outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karla A. Lee
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Wenjie Ma
- Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit and Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Daniel R. Sikavi
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - David A. Drew
- Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit and Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Long H. Nguyen
- Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit and Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Ruth C. E. Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - M. Jorge Cardoso
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Tove Fall
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund UniversityMalmöSweden
- Department of Medical Sciences, Molecular Epidemiology and Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala UniversitySweden
| | - Maxim B. Freidin
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Maria Gomez
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund UniversityMalmöSweden
| | - Mark Graham
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Chuan‐Guo Guo
- Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit and Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Amit D. Joshi
- Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit and Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Sohee Kwon
- Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit and Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Chun‐Han Lo
- Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit and Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Mary Ni Lochlainn
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Cristina Menni
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Benjamin Murray
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Raaj Mehta
- Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit and Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Mingyang Song
- Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit and Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Carole H. Sudre
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Veronique Bataille
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Thomas Varsavsky
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Alessia Visconti
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Paul W. Franks
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund UniversityMalmöSweden
| | | | - Claire J. Steves
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Sebastien Ourselin
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Tim D. Spector
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Andrew T. Chan
- Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit and Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. BostonMassachusettsUSA
- Broad Institute of MIT and HarvardCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | | |
Collapse
|
27
|
Wells PM, Doores KJ, Couvreur S, Nunez RM, Seow J, Graham C, Acors S, Kouphou N, Neil SJD, Tedder RS, Matos PM, Poulton K, Lista MJ, Dickenson RE, Sertkaya H, Maguire TJA, Scourfield EJ, Bowyer RCE, Hart D, O'Byrne A, Steel KJA, Hemmings O, Rosadas C, McClure MO, Capedevilla-Pujol J, Wolf J, Ourselin S, Brown MA, Malim MH, Spector T, Steves CJ. Estimates of the rate of infection and asymptomatic COVID-19 disease in a population sample from SE England. J Infect 2020; 81:931-936. [PMID: 33068628 PMCID: PMC7557299 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinf.2020.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding of the true asymptomatic rate of infection of SARS-CoV-2 is currently limited, as is understanding of the population-based seroprevalence after the first wave of COVID-19 within the UK. The majority of data thus far come from hospitalised patients, with little focus on general population cases, or their symptoms. METHODS We undertook enzyme linked immunosorbent assay characterisation of IgM and IgG responses against SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein and nucleocapsid protein of 431 unselected general-population participants of the TwinsUK cohort from South-East England, aged 19-86 (median age 48; 85% female). 382 participants completed prospective logging of 14 COVID-19 related symptoms via the COVID Symptom Study App, allowing consideration of serology alongside individual symptoms, and a predictive algorithm for estimated COVID-19 previously modelled on PCR positive individuals from a dataset of over 2 million. FINDINGS We demonstrated a seroprevalence of 12% (51 participants of 431). Of 48 seropositive individuals with full symptom data, nine (19%) were fully asymptomatic, and 16 (27%) were asymptomatic for core COVID-19 symptoms: fever, cough or anosmia. Specificity of anosmia for seropositivity was 95%, compared to 88% for fever cough and anosmia combined. 34 individuals in the cohort were predicted to be Covid-19 positive using the App algorithm, and of those, 18 (52%) were seropositive. INTERPRETATION Seroprevalence amongst adults from London and South-East England was 12%, and 19% of seropositive individuals with prospective symptom logging were fully asymptomatic throughout the study. Anosmia demonstrated the highest symptom specificity for SARS-CoV-2 antibody response. FUNDING NIHR BRC, CDRF, ZOE global LTD, RST-UKRI/MRC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Philippa M Wells
- Department of Twin Research, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Katie J Doores
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Simon Couvreur
- Department of Twin Research, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Rocio Martinez Nunez
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Jeffrey Seow
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Carl Graham
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Sam Acors
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Neophytos Kouphou
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Stuart J D Neil
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | - Pedro M Matos
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Kate Poulton
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Maria Jose Lista
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ruth E Dickenson
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Helin Sertkaya
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Thomas J A Maguire
- Centre for Inflammation Biology and Cancer Immunology, Department of Inflammation Biology, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Edward J Scourfield
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ruth C E Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Deborah Hart
- Department of Twin Research, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Aoife O'Byrne
- Centre for Inflammation Biology and Cancer Immunology, Department of Inflammation Biology, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Kathryn J A Steel
- Centre for Inflammation Biology and Cancer Immunology, Department of Inflammation Biology, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Oliver Hemmings
- Department of Immunobiology, School of Immunology and Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | - Myra O McClure
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, UK
| | | | | | - Sebastien Ourselin
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew A Brown
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital NHS Trust and King's College London NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, London, UK
| | - Michael H Malim
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Tim Spector
- Department of Twin Research, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Claire J Steves
- Department of Twin Research, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London SE1 7EH, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Bowyer RCE, Schillereff DN, Jackson MA, Le Roy C, Wells PM, Spector TD, Steves CJ. Associations between UK tap water and gut microbiota composition suggest the gut microbiome as a potential mediator of health differences linked to water quality. Sci Total Environ 2020; 739:139697. [PMID: 32758933 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Tap water composition has been widely linked to differences in human health, however the biological pathways underlying this association are less clearly defined. We provide the first investigation of the potential for the gut microbiota to mediate this association. Tap water samples and drinking habits from 85 Mono-zygotic twins with existing faecal microbiota profiles from around the UK were used to assess associations of water composition with the gut microbiome. Water composition was captured using the first 3 principle components (PCs) from multiple factor analysis of ion concentrations, additionally estimating average daily dose (ADD) of the primary three solutes contributing to its variance: chloride, sulphate and sodium. Geographic differences in water composition were assessed. We used measures of faecal microbial diversity, between-individual differences in composition and differences in taxa abundance estimated from 16S rRNA sequencing data. Differences between twin pairs were also considered. We observed significant associations of sodium ADD with microbiota diversity (Chao1), chloride, sodium and sulphate ADD with dissimilarity between samples, and significant associations for all PCs and ADD-adjusted solutes with abundances of individual microbial taxa. These results support the hypothesis that the gut microbiota could mediate the effects of tap water composition on host health, warranting further investigation into tap-water as an influencer of microbiota composition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ruth C E Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK.
| | - Daniel N Schillereff
- Department of Geography, King's College London, Bush House North East Wing, 30 Aldwych, WC2B 4BG, UK.
| | - Matthew A Jackson
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK; Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QR, UK.
| | - Caroline Le Roy
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK.
| | - Philippa M Wells
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK.
| | - Tim D Spector
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK.
| | - Claire J Steves
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK; Department of Ageing and Health, St Thomas' Hospital, 9th floor, North Wing, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Menni C, Valdes AM, Freidin MB, Sudre CH, Nguyen LH, Drew DA, Ganesh S, Varsavsky T, Cardoso MJ, El-Sayed Moustafa JS, Visconti A, Hysi P, Bowyer RCE, Mangino M, Falchi M, Wolf J, Ourselin S, Chan AT, Steves CJ, Spector TD. Real-time tracking of self-reported symptoms to predict potential COVID-19. Nat Med 2020; 26:1037-1040. [PMID: 32393804 PMCID: PMC7751267 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-020-0916-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 829] [Impact Index Per Article: 207.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
A total of 2,618,862 participants reported their potential symptoms of COVID-19 on a smartphone-based app. Among the 18,401 who had undergone a SARS-CoV-2 test, the proportion of participants who reported loss of smell and taste was higher in those with a positive test result (4,668 of 7,178 individuals; 65.03%) than in those with a negative test result (2,436 of 11,223 participants; 21.71%) (odds ratio = 6.74; 95% confidence interval = 6.31-7.21). A model combining symptoms to predict probable infection was applied to the data from all app users who reported symptoms (805,753) and predicted that 140,312 (17.42%) participants are likely to have COVID-19.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Menni
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Ana M Valdes
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
- Academic Rheumatology, Clinical Sciences, Nottingham City Hospital, Nottingham, UK
| | - Maxim B Freidin
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Carole H Sudre
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Long H Nguyen
- Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David A Drew
- Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Thomas Varsavsky
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - M Jorge Cardoso
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | - Alessia Visconti
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Pirro Hysi
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ruth C E Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Massimo Mangino
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Mario Falchi
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | - Sebastien Ourselin
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Andrew T Chan
- Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Claire J Steves
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Tim D Spector
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Wells PM, Adebayo AS, Bowyer RCE, Freidin MB, Finckh A, Strowig T, Lesker TR, Alpizar-Rodriguez D, Gilbert B, Kirkham B, Cope AP, Steves CJ, Williams FMK. Associations between gut microbiota and genetic risk for rheumatoid arthritis in the absence of disease: a cross-sectional study. Lancet Rheumatol 2020; 2:e418-e427. [PMID: 33345197 PMCID: PMC7729822 DOI: 10.1016/s2665-9913(20)30064-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Background Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that is associated with reduced life expectancy. The disease is heritable and an extensive repertoire of genetic variants have been identified. The gut microbiota might represent an environmental risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis. We aimed to assess whether known rheumatoid arthritis risk alleles were associated with the gut microbiota in a large population who do not have rheumatoid arthritis. Methods In this cross-sectional study done in the UK and Switzerland, we used genotyping and microbiota data from previous studies of the TwinsUK cohort, excluding participants who had ever had a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, as well as their unaffected co-twins. We used blood samples for genotyping and stool samples for the assessment of the gut microbiota. We generated a polygenic risk score (PRS) for rheumatoid arthritis in 1650 TwinsUK participants without the disease, based on 233 GWAS-identified single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with rheumatoid arthritis. We validated the PRS using logistic regression against rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis in 2686 UK Biobank individuals with a confirmed diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. Amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were generated from 16S rRNA gene sequencing of stool samples and assessed for association with the PRS for rheumatoid arthritis. We validated the findings in an independent sample comprised of first-degree relatives of patients with rheumatoid arthritis from the SCREEN-RA cohort. Differential abundance of ASVs present in more than 5% of samples, grouped by ASV taxon annotation, against the rheumatoid arthritis PRS as a continuous variable was assessed using fixed-effects covariates. To account for multiple testing, the false discovery rate calculation was applied to all p values to generate q values, with a significance threshold of 0·05 determined a priori. Findings We found that presence of Prevotella spp were positively associated with the rheumatoid arthritis PRS in TwinsUK participants (q<1 × 10−7). This finding was validated in SCREEN-RA participants (n=133) carrying established shared epitope risk alleles (q=0·0011). We also found an association between Prevotella spp and presence of preclinical rheumatoid arthritis phases (q=0·021). Interpretation Prevotella spp in the gut microbiota are associated with the rheumatoid arthritis genotype in the absence of rheumatoid arthritis, including in individuals at high risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. Our findings suggest that host genotype is associated with microbiota profile before disease onset. Funding Versus Arthritis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Philippa M Wells
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Adewale S Adebayo
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ruth C E Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Maxim B Freidin
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Axel Finckh
- Division of Rheumatology, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Till Strowig
- Department of Microbial Immune Regulation, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.,Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Till Robin Lesker
- Department of Microbial Immune Regulation, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | | | - Benoit Gilbert
- Division of Rheumatology, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Bruce Kirkham
- Department of Rheumatology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Andrew P Cope
- Centre for Rheumatic Diseases, King's College London, London, UK.,Centre for Inflammation Biology and Cancer Immunology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Claire J Steves
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK.,Department of Ageing and Health, St Thomas' Hospital, London, UK
| | - Frances M K Williams
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Mora-Ortiz M, Ibraheim H, Hermangild Kottoor S, Bowyer RCE, Metrustry S, Sanderson J, Powell N, D. Spector T, S. Small K, Steves CJ. Introducing ExHiBITT – Exploring Host microBIome inTeractions in Twins –, a colon multiomic cohort study. Wellcome Open Res 2020. [DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.15632.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: The colon is populated by approximately 1012 microorganisms, but the relationships between this microbiome and the host health status are still not completely understood. Here, our objective is to present the cohort characteristics of ExHiBITT – Exploring Host microBIome inTeractions in Twins – including i) biomedical phenotypes, ii) environmental factors and ii) colonoscopic findings. Methods: Participants from the TwinsUK cohort were recruited to study the interactions between the microbiome and host adaptive immunity. In total, 205 monozygotic twins were recruited from the wider TwinsUK cohort. They completed health questionnaires, and provided saliva, blood, colon biopsies from three different locations, caecal fluid, and two faecal samples. Results: A significant proportion of this apparently normal cohort had colonic polyps (28%), which are of interest as potential precursors of colorectal cancer, and, as expected, the number of polyps found was significantly correlated with BMI and age. Hitherto undiagnosed diverticulosis was also not infrequently found during colonoscopy (26%) and was associated with changes in Hybrid Th1-17 cells in the colon. Twin proband co-occurrence rate for diverticulosis (82%) was much higher than for polyps (42%). Familial factors affecting morphology or tolerance may contribute to the ease of endoscopy, as both the time to reach the caecum and pain perceived were highly concordant (proband concordance: 85% and 56%, respectively). Conclusions: We found the expected positive relationship between BMI and colonoscopic anomalies such as diverticular disease and polyps in the whole population, but within twin pairs this association was reversed. This suggests that familial factors confound these associations. Host and microbial next generation sequencing and metabolomics of the samples collected are planned in this cohort.
Collapse
|
32
|
Bowyer RCE, Jackson MA, Le Roy CI, Ni Lochlainn M, Spector TD, Dowd JB, Steves CJ. Socioeconomic Status and the Gut Microbiome: A TwinsUK Cohort Study. Microorganisms 2019; 7:E17. [PMID: 30641975 PMCID: PMC6351927 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms7010017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Revised: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Socioeconomic inequalities in health and mortality are well established, but the biological mechanisms underlying these associations are less understood. In parallel, the gut microbiome is emerging as a potentially important determinant of human health, but little is known about its broader environmental and social determinants. We test the association between gut microbiota composition and individual- and area-level socioeconomic factors in a well-characterized twin cohort. In this study, 1672 healthy volunteers from twin registry TwinsUK had data available for at least one socioeconomic measure, existing fecal 16S rRNA microbiota data, and all considered co-variables. Associations with socioeconomic status (SES) were robust to adjustment for known health correlates of the microbiome; conversely, these health-microbiome associations partially attenuated with adjustment for SES. Twins discordant for IMD (Index of Multiple Deprivation) were shown to significantly differ by measures of compositional dissimilarity, with suggestion the greater the difference in twin pair IMD, the greater the dissimilarity of their microbiota. Future research should explore how SES might influence the composition of the gut microbiota and its potential role as a mediator of differences associated with SES.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ruth C E Bowyer
- The Department of Twin Research, Kings College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK.
| | - Matthew A Jackson
- The Department of Twin Research, Kings College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK.
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QR, UK.
| | - Caroline I Le Roy
- The Department of Twin Research, Kings College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK.
| | - Mary Ni Lochlainn
- The Department of Twin Research, Kings College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK.
- Clinical Age Research Unit, Kings College Hospital Foundation Trust, London SE5 9RS, UK.
| | - Tim D Spector
- The Department of Twin Research, Kings College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK.
| | - Jennifer B Dowd
- Department of Global Health & Social Medicine, King's Building, King's College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS, UK.
- CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, 55 W 125th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA.
| | - Claire J Steves
- The Department of Twin Research, Kings College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK.
- Department of Ageing and Health, St Thomas' Hospital, 9th floor, North Wing, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Verdi S, Jackson MA, Beaumont M, Bowyer RCE, Bell JT, Spector TD, Steves CJ. An Investigation Into Physical Frailty as a Link Between the Gut Microbiome and Cognitive Health. Front Aging Neurosci 2018; 10:398. [PMID: 30564113 PMCID: PMC6288358 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2018.00398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The preservation of cognitive abilities with aging is a priority both for individuals and nations given the aging populations of many countries. Recently the gut microbiome has been identified as a new territory to explore in relation to cognition. Experiments using rodents have identified a link between the gut microbiome and cognitive function, particularly that low microbial diversity leads to poor cognition function. Similar studies in humans could identify novel targets to encourage healthy cognition in an aging population. Here, we investigate the association of gut microbiota and cognitive function in a human cohort considering the influence of physical frailty. We analyzed 16S rRNA gene sequence data, derived from fecal samples obtained from 1,551 individuals over the age of 40. Cognitive data was collected using four cognitive tests: verbal fluency (n = 1,368), Deary-Liewald Reaction Time Test (DLRT; n = 873), Mini Mental State Examination (recall; n = 1,374) and Paired Associates Learning from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB-PAL; n = 405). We use mixed effects models to identify associations with alpha diversity, operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and taxa and performed further analyses adjusting for physical frailty. We then repeated the analyses in a subset of individuals with dietary data, also excluding those using medications shown to influence gut microbiome composition. DLRT and verbal fluency were negatively associated with alpha diversity of the gut microbiota (False-Discovery Rate, FDR, p < 0.05). However, when considering frailty as a covariate, only associations between the DLRT and diversity measures remained. Repeating analyses excluding Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and antibiotic users and accounting for diet, we similarly observe significant negative associations between the DLRT and alpha diversity measures and a further negative association between DLRT and the abundance of the order Burkholderiales that remains significant after adjusting for host frailty. This highlights the importance of considering concurrent differences in physical health in studies of cognitive performance and suggests that physical health has a relatively larger association with the gut microbiome. However, the frailty independent cognitive-gut microbiota associations that were observed might represent important targets for further research, with potential for use in diagnostic surveillance in cognitive aging and interventions to improve vitality.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Serena Verdi
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Centre for Psychiatry, Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew A. Jackson
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Michelle Beaumont
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ruth C. E. Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jordana T. Bell
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tim D. Spector
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Claire J. Steves
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- Clinical Age Research Unit, Department of Clinical Gerontology, King’s College Hospital, NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Ni Lochlainn M, Bowyer RCE, Steves CJ. Dietary Protein and Muscle in Aging People: The Potential Role of the Gut Microbiome. Nutrients 2018; 10:E929. [PMID: 30036990 PMCID: PMC6073774 DOI: 10.3390/nu10070929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Revised: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Muscle mass, strength, and physical function are known to decline with age. This is associated with the development of geriatric syndromes including sarcopenia and frailty. Dietary protein is essential for skeletal muscle function. Resistance exercise appears to be the most beneficial form of physical activity for preserving skeletal muscle and a synergistic effect has been noted when this is combined with dietary protein. However, older adults have shown evidence of anabolic resistance, where greater amounts of protein are required to stimulate muscle protein synthesis, and response is variable. Thus, the recommended daily amount of protein is greater for older people. The aetiologies and mechanisms responsible for anabolic resistance are not fully understood. The gut microbiota is implicated in many of the postulated mechanisms for anabolic resistance, either directly or indirectly. The gut microbiota change with age, and are influenced by dietary protein. Research also implies a role for the gut microbiome in skeletal muscle function. This leads to the hypothesis that the gut microbiome might modulate individual response to protein in the diet. We summarise the existing evidence for the role of the gut microbiota in anabolic resistance and skeletal muscle in aging people, and introduce the metabolome as a tool to probe this relationship in the future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mary Ni Lochlainn
- The Department of Twin Research, Kings College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK.
- Clinical Age Research Unit, Kings College Hospital Foundation Trust, London SE5 9RS, UK.
| | - Ruth C E Bowyer
- The Department of Twin Research, Kings College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK.
| | - Claire J Steves
- The Department of Twin Research, Kings College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK.
- Clinical Age Research Unit, Kings College Hospital Foundation Trust, London SE5 9RS, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Jackson MA, Verdi S, Maxan ME, Shin CM, Zierer J, Bowyer RCE, Martin T, Williams FMK, Menni C, Bell JT, Spector TD, Steves CJ. Gut microbiota associations with common diseases and prescription medications in a population-based cohort. Nat Commun 2018; 9:2655. [PMID: 29985401 PMCID: PMC6037668 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05184-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 336] [Impact Index Per Article: 56.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 06/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The human gut microbiome has been associated with many health factors but variability between studies limits exploration of effects between them. Gut microbiota profiles are available for >2700 members of the deeply phenotyped TwinsUK cohort, providing a uniform platform for such comparisons. Here, we present gut microbiota association analyses for 38 common diseases and 51 medications within the cohort. We describe several novel associations, highlight associations common across multiple diseases, and determine which diseases and medications have the greatest association with the gut microbiota. These results provide a reference for future studies of the gut microbiome and its role in human health. The human gut microbiome has been associated with many health factors, but variability between studies limits exploration of these effects. Here, Jackson et al. analyse gut microbiota associations for 38 common diseases and 51 medications within >2700 members of the TwinsUK cohort.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Jackson
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK. .,Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7FY, UK.
| | - Serena Verdi
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Maria-Emanuela Maxan
- Clinical Age Research Unit, King's College Hospital Foundation Trust, London, SE5 9RS, UK
| | - Cheol Min Shin
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK.,Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Jonas Zierer
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK.,Institute of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Ruth C E Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Tiphaine Martin
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK.,Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Institute of Cancer, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Frances M K Williams
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Cristina Menni
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Jordana T Bell
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Tim D Spector
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Claire J Steves
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK. .,Clinical Age Research Unit, King's College Hospital Foundation Trust, London, SE5 9RS, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Bowyer RCE, Jackson MA, Pallister T, Skinner J, Spector TD, Welch AA, Steves CJ. Use of dietary indices to control for diet in human gut microbiota studies. Microbiome 2018; 6:77. [PMID: 29695307 PMCID: PMC5918560 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-018-0455-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 03/28/2018] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Environmental factors have a large influence on the composition of the human gut microbiota. One of the most influential and well-studied is host diet. To assess and interpret the impact of non-dietary factors on the gut microbiota, we endeavoured to determine the most appropriate method to summarise community variation attributable to dietary effects. Dietary habits are multidimensional with internal correlations. This complexity can be simplified by using dietary indices that quantify dietary variance in a single measure and offer a means of controlling for diet in microbiota studies. However, to date, the applicability of different dietary indices to gut microbiota studies has not been assessed. Here, we use food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) data from members of the TwinsUK cohort to create three different dietary measures applicable in western-diet populations: The Healthy Eating Index (HEI), the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) and the Healthy Food Diversity index (HFD-Index). We validate and compare these three indices to determine which best summarises dietary influences on gut microbiota composition. RESULTS All three indices were independently validated using established measures of health, and all were significantly associated with microbiota measures; the HEI had the highest t values in models of alpha diversity measures, and had the highest number of associations with microbial taxa. Beta diversity analyses showed the HEI explained the greatest variance of microbiota composition. In paired tests between twins discordant for dietary index score, the HEI was associated with the greatest variation of taxa and twin dissimilarity. CONCLUSIONS We find that the HEI explains the most variance in, and has the strongest association with, gut microbiota composition in a western (UK) population, suggesting that it may be the best summary measure to capture gut microbiota variance attributable to habitual diet in comparable populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ruth C. E. Bowyer
- The Department of Twin Research, Kings College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, St Thomas’ Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH UK
| | - Matthew A. Jackson
- The Department of Twin Research, Kings College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, St Thomas’ Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH UK
| | - Tess Pallister
- The Department of Twin Research, Kings College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, St Thomas’ Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH UK
- Section of Nutrition and Metabolism, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO), 150 Cours Albert Thomas, 69008 Lyon, France
| | - Jane Skinner
- Norwich Medical School 2.02, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ UK
| | - Tim D. Spector
- The Department of Twin Research, Kings College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, St Thomas’ Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH UK
| | - Ailsa A. Welch
- Norwich Medical School 2.02, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ UK
| | - Claire J. Steves
- The Department of Twin Research, Kings College London, 3-4th Floor South Wing Block D, St Thomas’ Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH UK
- Clinical Age Research Unit, Kings College Hospital Foundation Trust, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|