Our study within the MetaCardis @FP7_Projects is out in @nature ! “Statin therapy associates with lower prevalence of gut microbiota dysbiosis” @RaesLab @ClementLab #humanmicrobiome #obesity #statin nature.com/articles/s4158… (thread) (1/7) 
We explored the gut microbiota of nearly 900 individuals with BMI=[18-73]. While only 4% of lean/overweight participants were carriers of a previously described aberrant community-type (Bact2 enterotype), percentages sharply rose to 18% in obese participants. (2/7)
This dysbiotic enterotype with low microbial load, low diversity, and depleted in the anti-inflammatory Faecalibacterium, was previously detected in up to 78% of patients with IBD rdcu.be/bWz4m and 26% of people with reported depression rdcu.be/bWz3Q (3/7)
Here, we confirmed the correlation between obesity and systemic inflammation, but further found inflammation in participants carrying the dysbiotic Bact2 microbiota to be higher than expected based on their BMI. (4/7)
The exciting results came when comparing statin-treated and untreated participants. In obese individuals, the dysbiotic Bact2 enterotype prevalence was significantly lower in those taking statins (6%) than those not (18%), and comparable to non-obese participants (4%). (5/7)
Replication was successful in the independent Flemish Gut Flora Project and an additional MetaCardis cohort of cardiovascular disease patients. These results suggest statins as a potential microbiota-modulating therapeutic to explore. dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586… (6/7)
We would like to acknowledge support of this @nature publication dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586… from @FP7_Projects @FWOVlaanderen @frsFNRS and @KU_Leuven @VIB_microbes @VIBLifeSciences (7/7)
