July 5th, 2024

Microbiome composition varies based on sampling time, mouse study finds

A study in Nature Metabolism led by Amir Zarrinpar found that microbiome composition in mice varies with sampling time due to circadian rhythms, impacting research reproducibility similarly to diet. Guidelines are recommended.

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Microbiome composition varies based on sampling time, mouse study finds

A study published in Nature Metabolism reveals that the composition of the microbiome in mice varies significantly based on the time of sampling. Researchers, led by gastroenterologist Amir Zarrinpar from the University of California, San Diego, found that the circadian rhythm plays a crucial role in shaping the microbiome and can impact research reproducibility. The study analyzed bacterial sequencing data from previous publications and demonstrated that even small intervals between sample collections can lead to drastic changes in microbiome composition. Surprisingly, the study suggests that circadian rhythms have a comparable impact on the microbiome as diet. The findings emphasize the importance of considering the time of day in microbiome studies to improve experimental accuracy. While collecting multiple samples throughout the day is feasible in animal studies, it poses challenges in human research. Researchers recommend guidelines to address the influence of circadian variability on microbiome studies, highlighting the need for more comprehensive data collection methods.

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Link Icon 4 comments
By @ravenstine - 5 months
I suspect chronomicrobiomics will be one of the next trends with wellness gurus given that newer research may take timing into consideration whilst a lot of prior research doesn't.
By @wjb3 - 5 months
This study found that the microbiome composition varies based on the time of sampling. How do you think this variability might affect the reproducibility of microbiome research? What are some practical ways researchers could standardize sampling times to improve consistency across different studies?
By @kasperset - 5 months
If sampling time is effecting mice, good luck with Human Studies. It is not easy to get human gut microbiome samples in clinical trials especially when they are already suffering from disease. Even with longitudinal studies, patients can skip donating samples. Making it difficult to compare. Also diet (big factor) and genetics can impact your microbiome. Having said that, I am big fan of longitudinal microbiome studies with good metadata collection such as time of sample collection, Bristol stool scale, and diet(this is very difficult to quantify).