Close social relationships correlate with human gut microbiota composition.

Area of Science:

• Microbiome research
• Social epidemiology
• Human biology

Background:

• Social relationships influence health through various mechanisms.
• Primate studies suggest the gut microbiome may link social connections to health.
• Human studies on this link are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between social relationships and the human gut microbiota.
• To explore differences in gut microbiota similarity between spouses, siblings, and unrelated individuals.
• To examine the impact of relationship closeness on microbial diversity and richness.

Main Methods:

• Integration of gut microbiota data into the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study.
• Analysis of fecal microbiota in spouse and sibling pairs.
• Statistical control for dietary factors.

Main Results:

• Socialness with family and friends correlates with differences in fecal microbiota.
• Spouses exhibit more similar gut microbiota and share more bacterial taxa than siblings.
• Close marital relationships, not somewhat close ones, drive increased microbiota similarity compared to unrelated individuals.
• Married individuals, especially those in close relationships, show greater gut microbial diversity and richness than those living alone.

Conclusions:

• Human social interactions, particularly close marital relationships, significantly influence the gut microbiota composition and diversity.
• The gut microbiome represents a potential biological pathway through which social relationships impact health.
• Findings support the health benefits of marriage by highlighting its positive effects on the gut microbiome.