Cited by 314Gut microbiota and healthOral microbiology and periodontitis researchInfant Nutrition and Health

Seasonal Variation in Human Gut Microbiome Composition

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Davenport, Emily R., Mizrahi-Man, Orna, Michelini, Katelyn, Barreiro, Luis B., Ober, Carole, Gilad, Yoav·2014·PLoS ONE

Abstract

The composition of the human gut microbiome is influenced by many environmental factors. Diet is thought to be one of the most important determinants, though we have limited understanding of the extent to which dietary fluctuations alter variation in the gut microbiome between individuals. In this study, we examined variation in gut microbiome composition between winter and summer over the course of one year in 60 members of a founder population, the Hutterites. Because of their communal lifestyle, Hutterite diets are similar across individuals and remarkably stable throughout the year, with the exception that fresh produce is primarily served during the summer and autumn months. Our data indicate that despite overall gut microbiome stability within individuals over time, there are consistent and significant population-wide shifts in microbiome composition across seasons. We found seasonal differences in both (i) the abundance of particular taxa (false discovery rate <0.05), including highly abundant phyla Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, and (ii) overall gut microbiome diversity (by Shannon diversity; P = 0.001). It is likely that the dietary fluctuations between seasons with respect to produce availability explain, at least in part, these differences in microbiome composition. For example, high levels of produce containing complex carbohydrates consumed during the summer months might explain increased abundance of Bacteroidetes, which contain complex carbohydrate digesters, and decreased levels of Actinobacteria, which have been negatively correlated to fiber content in food questionnaires. Our observations demonstrate the plastic nature of the human gut microbiome in response to variation in diet.

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  • Dietary fluctuations inform, at least in part, the cyclical variations in the Hadza microbiota.

    “Dietary fluctuations inform, at least in part, these cyclical variations though how other seasonal variants, including sun exposure, temperature, and relative time outdoors, impact the gut microbiota has yet to be explored [89].”
  • Prior studies of the Hadza and the Hutterites indicate that seasonally volatile gut bacterial taxa correlate with seasonally available food.

    “Prior studies of the Hadza (Smits et al. 2017) [31] and the Hutterites from the USA [49] indicate that seasonally volatile gut bacterial taxa correlate with seasonally available food.”

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Authors
Davenport, E. R., Mizrahi-Man, O., Michelini, K., Barreiro, L. B., Ober, C., & Gilad, Y.
Affiliations
University of Chicago (US)
Corresponding author
  • Ober, Carole
  • Gilad, Yoav
Venue
PLoS ONE
Published
2014-03-11
Volume
9
Issue
3
Pages
e90731
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2089423792
Cited by
314
References
56
Citations by year
2026: 12 · 2025: 27 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 38 · 2019: 35 · 2018: 29 · 2017: 26 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 4
FWCI
9.01
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Knowledge@UChicago (University of Chicago) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • University of Chicago (cc-by)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (DK42086)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (HL085197, R01HL085197)
  • National Human Genome Research Institute (R01HG006123, HG006123)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (P30DK42086, P30DK042086)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
  • Health Sciences › Dentistry › Periodontics › Oral microbiology and periodontitis research
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Infant Nutrition and Health
Keywords
gut microbiota, seasonal variation, Hutterites, diet, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, actinobacteria, microbial diversity, dietary fiber, complex carbohydrates, founder populations
MeSH terms
Age Factors, Feces, Female, Humans, Male, Seasons, Gastrointestinal Tract, Biodiversity, Metagenome, Microbiota

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