# Japanese study of 6,803 adults links lifestyle to gut microbiome profiles and 15 chronic diseases

- Published: 2026-11-09 00:44 UTC
- Section: Life & Health › Medicine
- Tags: gut microbiome, lifestyle and chronic disease, short-chain fatty acids, butyrate-producing bacteria, MADE scores, coffee and microbiome, sedentary behavior, 4D project Japan, metagenomic sequencing
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-78dfa42dd184c86a8e2981f6_japanese_study_of/

**An observational analysis in Japan found two opposing sets of gut bacteria that statistically link habits such as diet, coffee and sitting to health and chronic diseases.**

![Japanese study of 6,803 adults links lifestyle to gut microbiome profiles and 15 chronic diseases](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/9b31c685c1ac5133.webp)
*news-medical.net*

Researchers from Tokyo Medical University, the Japan Institute for Health Security, the University of Tokyo, RIKEN, Waseda University and other Japanese institutions, together with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Germany, analyzed gut microbiome data from 6,803 adults aged 16–95 in the Japanese 4D project. The results were published in Nature Medicine and described by news-medical.net. The team examined whether gut bacteria statistically mediate associations between 28 lifestyle factors, general health and 15 chronic diseases [1].

## Two opposing microbial groups

The analysis identified two opposing groups of microbial features linking lifestyle with health and disease. Plant-based diets, fermented foods, coffee and physical activity mostly showed health-oriented patterns. Refined carbohydrates, smoking and sitting for 9.5 hours or more per day were mainly tied to disease-oriented ones [1].

Health-oriented mediators correlated positively with fecal short-chain fatty acids, especially butyrate, and negatively with the inflammatory markers TNF-α, IL-8 and IFN-γ. Disease-oriented mediators had weaker links to these acids and stronger positive links to inflammatory cytokines. Oral-derived bacteria made up 26.3% of disease-oriented mediators and none of the health-oriented ones. Pathobionts accounted for 14.3% of disease-oriented mediators and were absent from the health-oriented group [1].

The butyrate-producing bacteria Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Anaerostipes hadrus and Fusicatenibacter saccharivorans were health-oriented mediators. Vegetables, fruits and mushrooms were linked to predicted microbial pathways for breaking down pectin, hemicellulose and cellulose. Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus emerged as a potential mediator between coffee intake and a lower likelihood of inflammatory bowel disease [1].

Associations with dairy were mixed. Milk and yogurt were linked to Bifidobacterium species and lactose metabolism genes, yet for inflammatory bowel disease, type 2 diabetes and depression disease-oriented patterns more often predominated. Rice, bread, noodles and sweet carbonated drinks were linked to starch and sugar utilization, lactate production and biofilm formation.

## MADE scores and limits

From bacterial species profiles the authors built MADE scores (Microbiome-based Assessment of Disease and hEalth) for general health and individual diseases. The scores were tested in the Japanese cohort and in 13 independent external cohorts totaling 3,095 people. In 11 cohorts they distinguished people with disease from those without, while accuracy for irritable bowel syndrome was limited [1].

Fecal short-chain fatty acids were measured in 1,713 participants and plasma cytokines and chemokines in 1,740. Models were adjusted for age, sex, body mass index and medication use. A longitudinal part covered 402 participants with 804 samples collected over a median of two years.

The authors stress that the study does not establish causality. Lifestyle data were self-reported, and applicability of the findings outside Japan requires further study [1].

## Sources

1. [news-medical.net](https://www.news-medical.net/news/20261108/Coffee-vegetables-and-exercise-share-a-surprising-connection-in-your-gut.aspx)
2. [ua.news](https://ua.news/en/dovkolo-svitu/doslidzhennia-v-iaponiyi-poviazalo-zvichki-z-profiliami-mikrobiomu-news-medical)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-78dfa42dd184c86a8e2981f6_japanese_study_of/