A study links microbiota with attention span

The attention span of obese people may be related to the state of their intestinal microbiota .
Obesity is associated with worse care, but this study, published in the journal Gut and led by the Josep Trueta Biomedical Research Institute of Girona (IDIBGI), is the first to look at the role of gut microbiota in this connection .
Specifically, it links a higher level of proteobacteria in the gut microbiota with poorer attention span in obese people, while another compound in the microbiota (3-HAA) is associated with improved attention span.
The microbiota interacts with the body and performs a wide range of functions. It is estimated that there are between 20 and 100 times more microbial genes than human genes in the body. Therefore, beyond examining "what" microorganisms exist, it is very important to analyze "what they do, their genetic material, and the substances they produce or modulate in the body," according to one of the researchers who led the study, Dr. Jordi Mayneris-Perxachs of IDIBGI.
Researchers have focused on identifying which specific components of the gut microbiota are associated with greater or lesser attention span, and to do so, they have analyzed stool and blood samples from three groups totaling more than a thousand people .
"To integrate all this data, we've applied advanced computing techniques based on machine learning, which allow us to examine previously unattainable amounts of information and gain deeper, more valuable insights," explains Mayneris-Perxachs.
A first analysis of two cohorts showed that obese individuals with reduced attention span had a microbiota with increased proteobacteria and altered metabolism of tryptophan, an essential amino acid for health that is obtained through diet and processed by the gut microbiota.
This finding led to a deeper look into the role of tryptophan metabolism: the researchers observed that higher levels of a derivative compound , called 3-HAA (3-hydroxyanthranilic acid), were associated with better attention, while other compounds showed the opposite effect.
To test whether this relationship could be causal, they conducted tests with Pompeu Fabra University, transplanting human microbiota into mice. They observed that the animals that received microbiota from donors with better care showed signs consistent with improved cognitive flexibility and attention span.
In another model, fruit flies, a high-sugar diet that induces obesity, or the presence of a specific proteobacterium species (Enterobacter cloacae) impaired attention-related behaviors, while 3-HAA supplementation improved them.
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