Host diabetes status is the major regulator of gut microbiome in the UCD-T2DM Rat

There is strong evidence in humans and in animal models that the gut microbiome is altered in obesity and/or the insulin resistant condition. Poor metabolic health is often linked to overnutrition and poor-quality diets, and the gut microbiome is highly dependent on these factors. Less well appreciated is the potential role of host metabolic physiology in modifying gut microbial ecology. To address this question, we have used the UCD-T2DM Rat model to test whether the gut microbiome is altered during the progression of diabetes when controlling for exogenous factors (sex, strain, age, diet and vivarium housing).