Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28293020›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of obesity (2005)2017

Untangling the relationship between diet and visceral fat mass through blood metabolomics and gut microbiome profiling.

T Pallister, M A Jackson, T C Martin, C A Glastonbury, A Jennings, M Beaumont, R P Mohney, K S Small, A MacGregor, C J Steves and 4 more

Open access · hybridAbstract readTwin Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of obesity (2005), 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 57 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
57citing papers in PubMed
2.8field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

57 citing papers in PubMed, 80 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Neuroglobin: A New Player in the Gut-Brain Axis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

T PallisterDepartment of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, Kings College London, London, UK.
M A JacksonDepartment of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, Kings College London, London, UK.
T C MartinDepartment of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, Kings College London, London, UK.
C A GlastonburyDepartment of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, Kings College London, London, UK.
A JenningsDepartment of Nutrition, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
M BeaumontDepartment of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, Kings College London, London, UK.
R P MohneyMetabolon Inc., Durham, NC, USA.
K S SmallDepartment of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, Kings College London, London, UK.
A MacGregorDepartment of Nutrition, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
C J StevesDepartment of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, Kings College London, London, UK.
A CassidyDepartment of Nutrition, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
T D SpectorDepartment of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, Kings College London, London, UK.
C MenniDepartment of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, Kings College London, London, UK.
A M ValdesDepartment of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, Kings College London, London, UK.
King's College London · GBUniversity of East Anglia · GBMetabolon (United States) · US

Funding

Medical Research Council MR/L01999X/1Medical Research Council MR/N01183X/1Medical Research Council MR/N030125/1Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesHigher visceral fat mass (VFM) is associated with an increased risk for developing cardio-metabolic diseases. The mechanisms by which an unhealthy diet pattern may influence visceral fat (VF) development has yet to be examined through cutting-edge multi-omic methods. Therefore, our objective was to examine the dietary influences on VFM and identify gut microbiome and metabolite profiles that link food intakes to VFM. SUBJECTS/

methodsIn 2218 twins with VFM, food intake and metabolomics data available we identified food intakes most strongly associated with VFM in 50% of the sample, then constructed and tested the 'VFM diet score' in the remainder of the sample. Using linear regression (adjusted for covariates, including body mass index and total fat mass), we investigated associations between the VFM diet score, the blood metabolomics profile and the fecal microbiome (n=889), and confirmed these associations with VFM. We replicated top findings in monozygotic (MZ) twins discordant (⩾1 s.d. apart) for VFM, matched for age, sex and the baseline genetic sequence.

resultsFour metabolites were associated with the VFM diet score and VFM: hippurate, alpha-hydroxyisovalerate, bilirubin (Z,Z) and butyrylcarnitine. We replicated associations between VFM and the diet score (beta (s.e.): 0.281 (0.091); P=0.002), butyrylcarnitine (0.199 (0.087); P=0.023) and hippurate (-0.297 (0.095); P=0.002) in VFM-discordant MZ twins. We identified a single species, Eubacterium dolichum to be associated with the VFM diet score (0.042 (0.011), P=8.47 × 10

conclusionsWe linked a dietary VFM score and VFM to E. dolichum and four metabolites in the blood. In particular, the relationship between hippurate, a metabolite derived from microbial metabolism of dietary polyphenols, and reduced VFM, the microbiome and increased adipose tissue expression of neuroglobin provides potential mechanistic insight into the influence of diet on VFM.

Indexed as

DietGastrointestinal MicrobiomeMetabolomicsAdultBilirubinBiomarkersBloodButyratesCarnitineEatingFecesFemaleFruitGlobinsHippuratesHomeostasis2-hydroxyisovaleric acidBilirubinBiomarkersButyratesbutyrylcarnitineCarnitineGlobinsHippurateshippuric acidindolepropionic acidIndolesNerve Tissue ProteinsNeuroglobinthreonic acidValerates

Identifiers

PMID28293020
PMCPMC5504448
OpenAlexW2604896021

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.