Abstract
No population-based studies examined gut microbiota and related metabolites associated with sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake among US adults. In this cohort of US Hispanic/Latino adults, higher SSB intake was associated with nine gut bacterial species, including lower abundances of several short-chain-fatty-acid producers, previously shown to be altered by fructose and glucose in animal studies, and higher abundances of fructose- and glucose-utilizing Clostridium bolteae and Anaerostipes caccae. Fifty-six serum metabolites were correlated with SSB intake and a gut microbiota score based on these SSB-related species in consistent directions. These metabolites were clustered into several modules, including a glycerophospholipid module, two modules comprising branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) and aromatic amino acid (AAA) derivatives from microbial metabolism, etc. Higher glycerophospholipid and BCAA derivative levels and lower AAA derivative levels were associated with higher incident diabetes risk during follow-up. These findings suggest a potential role of gut microbiota in the association between SSB intake and diabetes.