Summary
Patterns of diurnal activity differ substantially between individuals, with early risers and late sleepers being examples of extreme chronotypes. Growing evidence suggests that the late chronotype significantly impacts the risk of developing mood disorders, obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. Despite the vast potential of utilizing chronotype information for precision medicine, the factors that shape chronotypes remain poorly understood. Here, we assessed whether chronotypes are associated with different gut microbiome composition. Using metagenomic sequencing, we established a distinct signature associated with chronotype that involves two bacterial genera Alistipes (elevated in “larks”) and Lachnospira (elevated in “owls”). We have identified four metabolic pathways (e.g. gluconegonesis) that were associated with early chronotype.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.