New study looks at gut bacteria and type 1 diabetes risk

The study, published in Nature Metabolism, analysed stool samples from 887 children with a high genetic risk of T1D. Researchers found that children whose gut microbiome followed one development pattern had around three times the risk of developing type 1, or early immune changes linked to the condition, compared with children in another group.

Tracking the gut microbiome in early life

The team analysed more than 12,000 stool samples collected during the children’s first six years of life. This helped them see how each child’s gut microbiome changed over time. 

They identified three broad patterns of microbiome development: Early Matured, Late Matured and Early Plateaued.

A link with T1D risk

Children whose microbiomes followed the Early Plateaued pattern had around three times the risk of developing T1D or the immune changes that can precede diagnosis, compared with those in the Early Matured group. 

The study also suggests that genetic variations which subtly affect the way the immune system works may play a part. These different genes could affect how gut bacteria and T1D risk are connected. 

Rachel Connor, Director of Research Partnerships at Breakthrough T1D, said:

“This study does not show that changes in gut bacteria cause type 1 diabetes, or that changing a child’s gut bacteria could prevent it. But it gives researchers an important new clue to investigate. Thanks to our supporters, we can fund long-term research that helps to build a clearer picture of how type 1 diabetes develops, and ultimately harness this knowledge to develop new ways to slow or stop T1D in its tracks.”

Genes may influence the relationship

It is important to be careful about what this study means. It shows a link between gut bacteria and T1D risk. It does not prove that changes in gut bacteria cause it. 

The children in the study all had a high genetic risk of T1D. More research is needed to understand whether the same findings apply to children with different levels of genetic risk. 

It is also too early to know whether changing the gut microbiome could reduce the risk of T1D. Further studies would be needed to answer that question. 

Next steps

The findings add another piece to the puzzle of how genetics, the immune system and environmental factors like the microbiome may interact during the earliest stages of T1D.

Danyue Dong, researcher at Harvard Medical School and lead author of this paper, said

“Extending this work to intervention studies is very much a direction we would like to pursue. Promising approaches could include microbiome-targeted interventions such as dietary modification and targeted supplementation in people with increased genetic susceptibility to T1D. An important next question is whether these approaches can shift the microbial signatures we identified and, ultimately, influence progression to autoimmunity.”

Thanks to supporters like you, Breakthrough T1D can fund research that helps us understand type 1 diabetes and move closer to preventing and curing it.