"Men with Higher Muscle Mass Have Greater Gut Microbial Diversity"

Gangbuk Samsung Hospital Research Presentation
"Potential Use in Developing Sarcopenia Treatments"

[Asia Economy Reporter Myunghwan Lee] A study revealing the differences in gut microbiome characteristics according to muscle mass in men and women has been published.

Kangbuk Samsung Hospital announced on the 12th that Professor Kyungjae Yoon and Professor Chulhyun Park from the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, along with Research Support Office's Hanna Kim, have for the first time in the world revealed the differences in gut microbiome characteristics according to muscle mass in men and women.

The microbiome refers to the genetic information of microorganisms residing in the human body. Although previous studies have shown that the microbiome affects skeletal muscle, differences according to sex have not yet been known.

The research team analyzed gut microbial communities through genetic sequencing of stool samples from 1,052 middle-aged men and women who underwent health checkups at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital in 2014.

First, total body muscle mass was divided into quartiles, and differences in gut microbiome cluster diversity, bacterial composition, metabolic pathways, and characteristics according to muscle mass were analyzed.

As a result, in women, no differences were found in microbiome diversity, bacterial composition, or cluster diversity according to muscle mass. However, in men, greater muscle mass was associated with more diverse bacteria. In particular, men with higher muscle mass showed elevated levels of Haemophilus parainfluenzae and Roseburia faecis bacteria.

Professor Chulhyun Park of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine stated, "This study demonstrated sex differences in microbiome diversity and composition according to muscle mass," adding, "It can serve as fundamental data for developing microbiome-based therapeutics for sarcopenia, a refractory disease characterized by muscle mass loss."

Meanwhile, this study was published in the 'Journal of Cachexia Sarcopenia and Muscle,' one of the most prestigious international journals in the field of geriatric medicine.