ArticleMicrobiologyOpen2025
Heavy Metals, Gut Microbiota, and Biochemical Markers: Unraveling the Complexities of Obesity.
Article in MicrobiologyOpen, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Multi-Omics Analyses of the Gut Microbiota and Metabolism in Cats with Different Body Conditions and the Effects of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation.Veterinary sciences · 2026Article
- Heavy Metals, Gut Microbiota, and Biochemical Markers: Unraveling the Complexities of Obesity.MicrobiologyOpen · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Obesity is a global public health threat. This study investigated relationships between heavy metal exposure, gut microbiome composition, and obesity by comparing obese individuals and healthy controls. Heavy metal levels in stool were assessed via ICP-MS, microbiome profiling via 16S rRNA sequencing, and biochemical parameters from blood. Key results showed obese individuals had significantly elevated FBS, cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, VLDL, liver enzymes, and lymphocytes (p < 0.05). ICP-MS revealed higher stool concentrations of Cd, Zn, Fe, Mn, and P, and lower levels of Ba, V, W, Ti, Ge, Nd, and S in obese subjects (p < 0.05). Although Bifidobacteriaceae, Ruminococcaceae, and Coriobacteriaceae were abundant across all groups with no significant difference in abundance (p > 0.05) or alpha diversity (p = 0.3), beta diversity revealed significant phylogenetic differences between controls and obese/lean groups (p < 0.0001). Specific correlations were identified: Bifidobacteriaceae abundance negatively correlated with cadmium (r = -0.6629, p = 0.0051) and fasting blood glucose (r = -0.61, p = 0.021). BMI positively correlated with Bacteroides abundance (r = 0.5851, p = 0.0190) and negatively with HDL (r = -0.68, p = 0.007). Iron negatively correlated with total cholesterol (r = -0.62, p = 0.019). Coriobacteriaceae abundance positively correlated with manganese (r = 0.55, p = 0.040) and ALT (r = 0.56, p = 0.039). Ruminococcaceae negatively correlated with triglyceride and VLDL (r = -0.55, p = 0.041). These findings suggest elevated heavy metal excretion links environmental exposure to obesity. Phylogenetic microbial differences, despite similar abundance, highlight environmental influences on gut microbiota, underscoring the importance of investigating environmental factors in metabolic health.
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Registered trials
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