The temporal dynamics of the gut mycobiome and its association with cardiometabolic health in a nationwide cohort of 12,641 Chinese adults

The dynamics of the gut mycobiome and its association with cardiometabolic health remain largely unexplored. Here, we employ internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing to capture the gut mycobiome composition and dynamics within a nationwide human cohort of 12,641 Chinese participants, including 1,946 participants with repeated measurements across three years. We find that the gut mycobiome is associated with cardiometabolic diseases and related biomarkers in both cross-sectional and dynamic analyses. Fungal alpha diversity indices and 19 mycobiome genera are the major contributors to the mycobiome-cardiometabolic disease link. Particularly, Saccharomyces emerges as an effect modifier of traditional risk factors in promoting type 2 diabetes risk. Further integration of multi-omics data reveals key metabolites such as γ-linolenic acid and L-valine linking the gut mycobiome to type 2 diabetes. This study advances our understanding of the potential roles of the gut mycobiome in cardiometabolic health. • We characterize gut fungal composition and dynamics in 12,641 Chinese participants • Gut fungal diversity and 19 genera are associated with cardiometabolic health • The influence of gut fungi on type 2 diabetes may be mediated by serum metabolites The association between the gut mycobiome and cardiometabolic health remains underappreciated. In a cohort of 12,641 Chinese participants, Gou et al. characterize the gut mycobiome’s composition and dynamics, demonstrating its connection to cardiometabolic health. They also identify several metabolites potentially mediating the association of the gut mycobiome with type 2 diabetes.