Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice · Oct 25, 2026

Gut microbiome-mediated associations between dietary intake and type 2 diabetes in a Korean population

By Chung S, Kim JH, Nam YD et al.

AIMS: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is influenced by multiple risk factors, including dietary intake, which may affect disease risk through interactions with the gut microbiome. This study sought to identify microbial features that mediate these associations in a Korean population. METHODS: Data from 1,347 participants aged 30-64 years were analyzed. Dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire, and gut microbiome profiles were generated by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of the V3-V4 region. MaAsLin2 and mediation analyses were then performed. RESULTS: Forty-eight amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were associated with T2D. Lachnospira ASV054, Romboutsia B ASV190, and Clostridium T ASV104 were inversely associated with T2D and statistically mediated the associations of bread, starchy food, and kimchi intake with T2D, respectively (q < 0.001). Clostridium T ASV104 also exhibited indirect effects opposite to the direct effects of rice cake and ultra-processed food (UPF) intake on T2D (q < 0.05), suggesting suppressive effects. CONCLUSIONS: Several gut microbial features inversely associated with T2D partially mediated diet-T2D associations and exhibited suppressive effects for rice cake and UPF intake. These findings suggest that the gut microbiome may play an important role in mediating associations between dietary intake and T2D.

doi.org/10.1016/j.diabres.2026.113626 Open access PubMed 42927865 Mechanisms