Gut microbiome signatures associated with iron-deficiency anemia in young adults

Reham A. Abd  El Rahmen; Kawthar Saad  Alghamdi

doi:10.18502/ijm.v18i2.21293

Reham A. Abd El Rahmen Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Hafr AL Batin UHB, Hafer AL Batin, Saudi Arabia
Kawthar Saad Alghamdi Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Hafr Al Batin, Hafr Al Batin, Saudi Arabia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijm.v18i2.21293

Keywords: Iron-deficiency anemia; Gut microbiome; Intestinal microbiota; Iron metabolism; Enterobacteriaceae; Lactoba- cillus; Iron supplementation; Dysbiosis

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Iron is vital for both the body of the host and the metabolism of microbes. Pathogenic En- terobacteria need iron to grow and cause disease, but many good gut bacteria, like lactobacilli, do not require as much iron. Changes in the amount of iron available in the gut may therefore affect the makeup of the gut microbiome. Iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) represents the most prevalent nutritional disorder globally, concerning about 1.24 billion, mostly women and young people in low- and middle-income countries. This cross-sectional study looked at the link between iron-deficiency anemia and the makeup of the gut microbiome in young adults aged 18 to 30.

Materials and Methods: We looked at hematological and iron status parameters as well as gut microbiota profiling using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Differences in microbial diversity, taxonomic composition, and the relative abundance of bacte- ria that make short-chain fatty acids between people with IDA and healthy controls were investigated.

Results: The results show that iron-deficiency anemia is linked to different gut microbiome signatures. This suggests that there may be connections between iron levels and the structure of microbial communities.

Conclusion: These results show how important it is to study the gut microbiome to understand iron-deficiency anemia. They also show how important it is to do long-term, interventional studies to figure out how these associations work and what they mean for health.