Variation in relative abundance of gut bacteria correlates with lipid profiles in healthy adults. The gut microbiome and blood lipid levels

The cohort included 23 healthy adults. Total of 180 faecal samples were collected at eight time points distributed between the three week- long dietary intervention periods (study products were salmon, smoked salmon and smoked pork) across the 11-week period. Faecal samples were collected by participants at home with provided sample collection kit following written instructions. Participants were asked to freeze and store samples at household freezers until transportation on cold elements to the laboratory for long term storage at -80°C. Microbial DNA was isolated with FastDNA Spin Kit for Soil (MP Biomedicals, France). Sequencing analysis was performed with paired-end whole metagenome sequencing approach on DNBSEQ-G400 instrument following PE100 protocol with DNBSEQ-G400RS High-throughput Sequencing Set (FCL PE100) (MGI Tech Co., Ltd., China). On average 51 058 661 ± 7 155 819 of raw reads per sample were obtained.Data were used to assess relationships between the composition of the gut microbiome and variation in lipid profiles among healthy adults. Observed correlations supported the role of the gut microbiome in defining blood lipid profiles and confirmed the contribution of probiotic species in maintenance of healthy lipid balance.