People living in the poorest areas of the UK have a less diverse range of bacteria in their gut, leading to worse health outcomes than their more affluent counterparts, according to a study.
The research, led by academics at King’s College London and the University of Nottingham, analysed the gut bacteria of 1,390 female twins across the UK alongside their residential postcodes in order to identify the area’s socioeconomic status.
Deprivation was measured using the Townsend Deprivation Index, which takes into account measures such as unemployment and overcrowding, as well as car and home ownership.
The gut, or gastrointestinal system, is the route that food and drink takes through the body. It ensures that all the beneficial nutrients are absorbed and used for energy, growth and repair.
Gut health is linked to physical and mental health – about 95% of serotonin, a mood regulator, is produced in the gut. An unhealthy microbiome can cause inflammation and also lead to anxiety and depression.
Analysis of the participants’ gut health found that there were 12 bacterial species linked to living in more deprived areas. Two of these species, Lawsonibacter and Intestinimonas massiliensis, were also negatively associated with deprivation and higher rates of anxiety and diabetes.
Changes in these particular bacteria could explain how social disadvantage affected mental and physical health, according to the researchers, as these bacteria usually produce butyrate, which supports energy balance and blood sugar control. Alongside these findings, the research showed that deprivation was associated with reduced diversity of gut microbiome.
Dr Cristina Menni, senior author of the study and a senior lecturer in molecular epidemiology at King’s College London, said: “Although this is still an emerging area of research, we know that the diversity of bacteria in the gut plays an important role in overall health.
“Health inequalities remain one of the biggest challenges facing the UK, and we still do not fully understand how social disadvantage translates into poorer health. Our findings suggest that people who live in more socially deprived areas of the UK may have less diverse gut microbiomes, and that this may be one biological pathway linking deprivation to worse physical and mental health outcomes. We hope that this might lead to interventions that support gut health and help improve overall wellbeing,” she added.
The findings also suggest that the health of a person’s gut microbiome may play an important role in the connection between poorer health outcomes and social deprivation.
Dr Yu Lin, first author of the study and a research associate at King’s College London, said that gut microbiome might be “one of the ways our environment and social circumstances, such as chronic stress, financial strain, and access to healthy food, affect both our mental health and our metabolic health”.
She added: “These microbes, in turn, influence how the body processes energy and communicates with the brain. This suggests that social and environmental disadvantage may become biologically embedded through changes in gut bacteria.
“In other words, the bacteria in our gut could help explain how where we live and the stresses we face shape our overall wellbeing. We hope that our findings will contribute to new strategies for supporting health in disadvantaged communities.”
