PLOS ONE · 16 authors, 11 centres
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Using mutual information and minimum spanning tree analyses on 5-to-10-year-old indigenous Mexican children, this cross-sectional study found that gut microbiota and brain cortex activity network connectivity both diminished under low animal protein and lipid intake despite similar microbial composition between groups.
This cross-sectional study applied Mutual Information and Minimum Spanning Tree (MST) network analyses to examine associations between animal protein and lipid intake and the connectivity of gut microbiota (GM) and brain cortex activity (BCA) networks in children aged 5 to 10 from a Me'Phaa indigenous community in southwest Mexico. The community showed homogeneous socio-ecological conditions but high individual heterogeneity in animal product consumption. MST, representing the critical backbone of information flow, diminished under low protein and lipid intake for both BCA and GM networks. Brain connectivity improved for most broadbands under the open-eyes condition with higher nutrient intake. No significant differences in alpha or beta diversity of GM were found between intake groups, though three discriminant ASVs were identified. The authors acknowledge a small sample size as a limitation and note that no cognitive outcomes were measured. Results suggest that low animal protein and lipid consumption may affect GM-BCA connectivity during critical developmental stages under nonwestern dietary regimens.
