Observational Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Apr 28, 2024; 30(16): 2249-2257
Published online Apr 28, 2024. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v30.i16.2249
Association between childhood obesity and gut microbiota: 16S rRNA gene sequencing-based cohort study
Xu-Ming Li, Qing Lv, Ya-Jun Chen, Lu-Biao Yan, Xin Xiong
Xu-Ming Li, Laboratory Department, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital (Nanjing Maternal and Child Health Hospital), Nanjing 210004, Jiangsu Province, China
Qing Lv, Department of Pediatrics, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen 518055, Guangdong Province, China
Ya-Jun Chen, Department of Inspection Division, Women’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital), Nanjing 210004, Jiangsu Province, China
Lu-Biao Yan, Department of Pediatrics, Women’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital), Nanjing 210004, Jiangsu Province, China
Xin Xiong, Department of Neonatology, Chenzhou First People’s Hospital, Chenzhou 423000, Hunan Province, China
Co-first authors: Xu-Ming Li and Qing Lv.
Author contributions: Li XM, Lv Q, and Xiong X proposed the concept of this study; Chen YJ validated this study; Li XM and Lv Q jointly wrote the initial draft; Yan LB has made contributions to data collection; Xiong X has made contributions to formal analysis; Liu XM, Lv Q, and Xiong X participated in the survey; Chen YJ and Li XM have contributed to these methods; Lv Q contributed to the visualization of this study; and all authors jointly guide the research, review, and edit the manuscript. Liu XM and Lv Q, as the first authors, made equal contributions to this work. After discussion among all authors, it has been decided to designate Li XM and Lv Q as the first authors for three main reasons. Firstly, this study was conducted as a collaborative effort, and it is reasonable to designate a joint first author. The author accurately reflects the distribution of responsibilities and burdens related to the time and effort required to complete the research and final manuscript. Designating two co first authors will ensure effective communication and management of post submission matters, thereby improving the quality and reliability of the paper. Secondly, the co-first authors of the research team possess diverse professional knowledge and skills from different fields, and their appointments best reflect this diversity. It also promotes the most comprehensive and in-depth exploration of research topics, ultimately enriching readers’ understanding by providing various expert perspectives. Thirdly, Li XM and Lv Q made substantial and equal contributions throughout the entire research process. Choosing these researchers as co-first authors, acknowledging, and respecting their equal contributions, demonstrates the spirit of collaboration and teamwork in this study. We believe that designating Li XM and Lv Q as co-first authors are suitable for our manuscript, as it accurately reflects the collaborative spirit, equal contribution, and diversity of our team.
Institutional review board statement: This study has been approved and reviewed by the Ethics Committee of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital affiliated with Nanjing Medical University.
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: We declare that there is no conflict-of-interest disclosure relationship.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement—checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement—checklist of items.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Xin Xiong, MSc, Attending Doctor, Department of Neonatology, Chenzhou First People’s Hospital, No. 6 Feihong Road, Chenzhou 423000, Hunan Province, China. dxtw306@163.com
Received: January 25, 2024
Peer-review started: January 25, 2024
First decision: February 8, 2024
Revised: February 18, 2024
Accepted: March 22, 2024
Article in press: March 22, 2024
Published online: April 28, 2024
Processing time: 92 Days and 3.9 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: This study used 16S rDNA sequencing to identify characteristic gut genera in obese and normal-weight children. The findings revealed lower α-diversity in the gut microbiota of obese children compared to normal-weight children. Significant differences were observed in the composition of gut microbiota between the two groups, with Prevotella and Firmicutes being more abundant in the obese group, and Bacteroides and Sanguibacteroides more prevalent in the control group. These results provide insights into the potential role of gut microbiota in childhood obesity and may contribute to future mechanistic studies and prevention strategies.