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Fecal Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Young Children and Their Mothers Are Not Associated With Progression to Islet

Bree J Tillett1, Min Yan1, Dovile Anderson2

  • 1Frazer Institute, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia.

Diabetes Care
|August 7, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Reduced fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) are not linked to increased risk of islet autoimmunity (IA) in infants. SCFA levels in mothers and infants did not predict IA development, despite some differences observed in mothers with type 1 diabetes.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiome research
  • Immunology
  • Metabolomics

Background:

  • Reduced fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) have been suggested as a risk factor for type 1 diabetes (T1D).
  • Investigating SCFA in mother-infant dyads can elucidate early-life factors influencing islet autoimmunity (IA).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if decreased fecal SCFA concentrations in mother-infant dyads increase the risk of developing IA.
  • To analyze SCFA profiles from pregnancy through early childhood in relation to IA onset.

Main Methods:

  • A nested case-control study within the Environmental Determinants of Islet Autoimmunity (ENDIA) cohort.
  • Quantification of fecal SCFA using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in 1,120 stool samples from mothers and infants.
  • Statistical analysis using weighted conditional logistic regression and linear mixed-effects models.

Main Results:

  • No association was found between fecal SCFA concentrations and IA onset in infants.
  • Infant SCFA levels increased up to one year of age, influenced by solid food introduction and infant BMI.
  • Mothers with T1D had lower concentrations of acetate, butyrate, and propionate during pregnancy compared to mothers without T1D.

Conclusions:

  • The study does not support a direct link between lower fecal SCFA concentrations in pregnancy and early life and the development of IA.
  • SCFA profiles appear similar between infants who develop IA and controls, suggesting other factors may be more critical for IA development.
Abstract

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