Similarity in Short Chain Fatty Acids Profiles Predicts Smoking Cessation

Background: Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are closely associated with gut microbiota composition and host metabolic health. Emerging evidence suggests that SCFA profiles may be influenced by smoking habits and could serve as potential biomarkers for smoking cessation success. Methods: We analyzed the microbiome and SCFA profiles of three groups of volunteers: smokers, non-smokers, and individuals who successfully ceased smoking. A Support Vector Machine with a Radial Basis Function was employed to assess whether SCFA similarity could predict smoking cessation outcomes. Results: In line with previous work, there is a distinct “smoker” microbiome, and we found significant differences in community composition between smokers who would and would not later quit smoking. Methanobrevibacter increased among those who would quit and was the only differentially abundant taxa between the groups. High-dimensional SCFA similarity demonstrated predictive potential in identifying individuals likely to cease smoking. Conclusion: SCFA profiling offers a novel and promising biomarker for predicting smoking cessation. These findings highlight the interplay between gut microbiota metabolism and smoking behavior, paving the way for personalized interventions to support smoking cessation efforts.