Associations Between Social Jetlag and Gut Microbiome Profiles in Adolescents

The microbiota-gut-brain axis plays a vital role in health, with growing evidence linking SJL to the gut microbiome. In this study, the relationship between self-reported SJL and gut microbiome composition is evaluated in an adolescent population.

A total of 120 healthy adolescents (69 females, 51 males; mean age 12.69±0.65 years) were included. We investigated the associations of self-reported SJL with gut microbial α-diversity, the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio, specific bacterial taxa, and functional gene diversity.

Participants had an average SJL of 0.87±0.73 h, with 25.0% experiencing SJL ≥2 h/d. Although continuous SJL was negatively correlated with α-diversity at the family level (Shannon and Simpson indices, all P<0.05), no significant differences were found between the SJL <2 and ≥2 h/d groups. Several taxa across multiple taxonomic levels (e.g. Bacteroidia and Bacteroidales) were associated with SJL (P<0.05). Differential abundance was observed for multiple families and genera between these two SJL groups. After FDR correction (q≤0.05), only the glutamate dehydrogenase gene gdh_K00262 was significantly enriched in the high SJL group (q=0.05).

SJL is associated with shifts in functionally relevant gut taxa, rather than a global ecological restructuring, in adolescents. Future work is needed to decipher the mechanisms of this microbiome-SJL interaction and its health significance.