Lawsonibacter Asaccharolyticus Abundance: Coffee is one of the most popular beverages consumed globally. It’s a daily staple for many, known for its potential metabolic and health advantages.
Recent studies suggest that coffee may also have a direct relationship with our gut microbiome.
In fact, in 2021, researchers found that out of more than 150 foods studied, the popular beverage showed the strongest link to gut microbiome composition, particularly levels of Lawsonibacter saccharolytic, in about 1,000 people.
Now, to better understand the effects of coffee consumption on the gut microbiome, this research team analyzed diet and medical data from over 22,800 individuals in the United States and United Kingdom, in addition to publicly available information from nearly 54,200 people worldwide.
They compared data from stool samples collected from coffee drinkers and non-drinkers to identify differences in their gut bacteria.
Table of Contents
Abstract
Although diet significantly influences the human gut microbiome, the specific relationships between individual foods and microbial community composition remain poorly understood. Coffee, a widely consumed beverage with established health and metabolic benefits, has emerged as a particularly interesting subject for study. Previous research identified coffee as having the strongest correlation with microbiome components among over 150 food items analyzed.
Study Design and Methodology
We conducted a comprehensive analysis incorporating the following:
- Multi-cohort and multi-omic data from US and UK populations
- 22,867 participants with detailed dietary information
- Integration with public data from 211 cohorts (N = 54,198)
Key Findings
The relationship between coffee consumption and microbiome composition demonstrated:
- High reproducibility across different populations (area under the curve of 0.89)
- Strong association with the presence and abundance of Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus
Benefits
The benefits of coffee may be ascribable to some of its polyphenol components, including chlorogenic acid, the caffeic ester of quinic acid, and N-methylpyridium, a derivative of trigonellineThe gut microbiome is complicated in the metabolism of coffee and potentially mediates its health effects. One small study showed an increase in Bacteroides, Porphyromonas and Prevotella among coffee drinkers in a cohort of 147 healthy individuals using quantitative PCR22. A 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon sequencing study on the effects of coffee on murine gut microbial communities also reported an increase in Prevotella16.
Similarly, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of the colonic mucosal microbiomes from 34 healthy participants showed higher alpha diversity and an increase in the genera Faecalibacterium and Alistipes in response to caffeine23. In support of the uniqueness of coffee’s interaction with the gut microbiome, our initial ZOE Personalized Responses to Dietary Composition Trial (PREDICT 1) metagenomics study showed that coffee consumption had, among over 150 food items, the highest correlation with gut microbiome composition in ~1,000 individuals.
Conflict of interest statement
Competing interests: G.H., J.W. and T.D.S. are co-founders of ZOE. G.H., J.W., R.D., F.G. and K.M.B. are or have been employees of ZOE. N.S., F.A., S.E.B., C.H., and T.D.S. are consultants to ZOE. T.D.S., R.D., J.W., G.H., F.A., N.S., and S.E.B. receive options with ZOE. All other authors declare no competing interests.
Conclusion
This research establishes a clear metabolic connection between a specific gut microorganism and coffee consumption. The findings provide a framework for understanding microbial dietary responses at the biochemical level, advancing our knowledge of diet-microbiome interactions.