Association Between the Blautia/Bacteroides Ratio and Altered Body Mass Index After Bariatric Surgery

Abstract Current evidence support that the gut microbiota plays a potential role in obesity. Bariatric surgery can reduce excess weight and decrease the risk of life-threatening weight-related health problems and may also influence gut microbiota. In this study, we aimed to investigate the changes in gut microbiota before and after bariatric surgery and evaluate the association of the gut microbial shift and altered body mass index (BMI) after bariatric surgery. Between January 2019 and July 2020, stools from 58 patients scheduled for bariatric surgery were collected. Six months after bariatric surgery, stools from 22 of these patients were re-collected, and the changes in gut microbiota before and after bariatric surgery were evaluated. In addition, the differences in gut microbiota between patients with severe obesity (BMI > 35, n=42) and healthy volunteers with normal BMI (18.8 – 22.8, n=41) were investigated. The gut microbiota of patients who underwent bariatric surgery showed increased α-diversity and differed β-diversity compared with those before surgery. Interestingly, Blautia was decreased and Bacteriodes was increased at the genus level after bariatric surgery. Further, the Blautia/Bacteroides ratio showed a positive correlation with BMI. These results were similar regardless of the surgery type (Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy). To validate these results, we compared the gut microbiota from severely obese patients with high BMI with those from healthy volunteers and demonstrated that the Blautia/Bacteroides ratio correlated positively with BMI. In the gut microbial analysis of patients who underwent bariatric surgery, we identified that the Blautia/Bacteroides ratio had changed after bariatric surgery and showed a positive correlation with BMI. Based on these results, we suggest that bariatric surgery could change the gut microbiota and specific microbiomes might have a potential role in obese patients.